Ulysses
by Switchblade X
Summary: Chapter 8 -- "Somehow 'I told ya so' jus' don' cover dis." Rattrap said, folding his arms over his chest... (PLEASE R & R!)
1. Fate Twists and Lives Turn

Disclaimer; I own Slingblade and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Ulysses

Chapter 1

Fate Twists and Lives Turn

by Switchblade X

Her earliest memories of this planet were of waking up smack-dab in the middle of a barren wasteland completely alone. That had been almost a week ago. Since then, her luck hadn't gotten much better.

She had wandered through the wasteland for a few days, searching for _any_ life forms. Needless to say, she hadn't found anything. Not even a bug! But, she _had_ found three stasis-pods. Her search of them revealed that one: they were a week old; two: one of the protoforms hadn't survived the crash; three: two protoforms _had_ survived; and four: those protoforms had been found. Unfortunately, the trails were old and following them was useless. However, the stasis-pods might _not_ be useless. Provided their computers still functioned.

Fortunately for her, she remembered all of her previous life on Cybertron, and knew exactly what to do. But, something about remembering her previous life unnerved her; she'd always heard that once you were put into protoform state, your memory of your entire life and your identity were erased completely, meaning you had to start totally over once you awakened. This was one of the reasons why she had signed on to this mission; she wanted to forget her painful past and start again. Being able to remember _everything_ meant that something had gone _very_ wrong when she had been put into the protoform state. It made her wonder about what else might be wrong with her.

She transformed, and began trying to get one of the stasis-pods' computer running. Maybe, just maybe, if she could get it to boot up, she could find out exactly where she was and what had happened that would make four pods fall from orbit at the same time. And, if she was _really_ lucky, she could patch a comm through to the Maximal base. Provided the Maximals were still alive.

With much protesting, the pod's computer activated.

"Bingo." she murmured, as information began to flood the screen. So, a Transwarp explosion had occurred. That explained a lot. How, though? As she searched for an answer, she remembered her own moment of awakening.

She didn't remember the crash, or falling from orbit, but she _did_ remember the pain that had hit her as soon as she had gone online. The pain had been so intense… It was from the impact, it had to have been. After lying in the remains of her pod for quite some time, waiting for the pain to subside, she managed to crawl out and transform before collapsing a few feet away from weakness.

When she had regained consciousness from that, she examined the wreckage of her pod. All of the pod's systems had fizzled out after she had been reformatted and the hull had suffered extensive damage. Her survival was nothing short of a miracle.

And, then, she had begun to wander, looking for intelligent life.

The stasis-pod's computer beeped, jolting her out of her first memories of this world.

The computer had no idea how the explosion had occurred. All it knew was; the explosion _had_ occurred, this pod and three others had fallen, and two of the three pods that had landed in this spot had functioned at least partially properly.

_Well, this helps me none._ she thought with a sigh, shutting the computer back down. _Maybe I should follow one of theses trails. …Ah, but they're a week old! The Maximals could be dead by now! …But…what if they're not?_ She transformed into her new alternate mode, picked out a trail that smelled Maximal, and began following it. _This is just a chance I'll have to take. If the Maximals are alive, then I'm in good shape. If they're not…_

She really didn't want to think about what would happen to her if the Maximals weren't alive. Here she was, completely alone on a planet that was, as far as she knew, a barren wasteland.

It was then that she paused and looked back at the pod, contemplating the idea of trying to radio the Maximals. She dismissed this idea as three rather large problems presented themselves: one, the pod's computer couldn't possibly last long enough for her to find a frequency; two, she didn't know what the Maximal frequency was; and three, several of the trails that she had discovered were drenched in the scent of Predacons.

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As she followed the trails, the wasteland gradually gave way to grasslands.

_If I were the gambling type, I'd bet my retirement savings that the Transwarp explosion made that entire area into a scorched dust bowl._ she thought, watching a pair of doves fly by overhead.

She journeyed on for quite some time, wondering what the Maximals would think of her.

_They'll think you're a weak little bitch, just like I do._ said a voice in the back of her mind.

A low growl escaped her as the voice spoke. Even after all theses millennia, her creator's ghost still haunted her. _Sadistic bastard._ she bitterly thought, remembering all of the abuse that she had endured while in his custody.

When she had been a child and adolescent, beating her within inches of her life had become a daily routine for her creator. But, as soon as she had come of age, she had fled her home, hoping to leave her old life behind. It was not to be.

Her creator had created another child after she left, a male. Her little brother. A friend of hers had alerted her when the cycle of violence and abuse began again. So, unable to stand the thought of her creator putting another child through the same hell that he had put her through, she returned to her home, bent on stopping this madness.

She smiled at the memory of her creator's face as she killed him slowly. In those agonizing last moments, he had experienced a small fraction of the pain that he had inflicted upon her. And, she had loved every last minute of it.

She had left her baby brother with a friend of hers who was incapable of creating children. She had never seen the child again. It was a pity; he would have made a fine warrior-

A new scent hit her, jolting her out of her memories. This scent was fresh, maybe a half-hour old. And, most importantly of all, it was a Maximal scent.

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This new scent led her to a forest. A forest that was not only on fire, but had the sounds of battle coming from it.

Fearing her unknown comrade was in trouble, she rushed into the inferno, struggling to keep track of his scent through all of the smoke, forest smells, and scents of other Transformers; Predacons.

Voices began to drift above the roar of the flames. She followed the voices to a small clearing, and hid herself in the bushes, hoping to identify somebody.

There were two of them, both male, both wounded. One of them, the one who was hurt the worst, lay on the ground surrounded by shards of something golden. The other one loomed ominously above him, saying something that she couldn't make out. He looked familiar…

Megatron. She'd recognize that arrogant bastard anywhere. Looking around, she spotted what remained of his minions; this Maximal had taken them all on by himself! And it looked as though Megatron was going to finish him off. She couldn't allow that to happen.

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Megatron's head snapped to the side when a reptilian roar split the air. Before he had a chance to react, a black velociraptor with silver stripes burst out of a nearby bush. The raptor tackled him, burying its claws deep into his already damaged body. Quickly, he slapped the dinosaur away before he hit the ground.

The raptor landed easily on its feet and hissed at him as he staggered back up.

"Who are you?" the Predacon leader demanded.

"One would think that you would remember me, _Megatron_." She spat his name out like it was a curse.

Instantly, he remembered her. "Slingblade, you conniving little bitch! You're supposed to be dead!"

She transformed, brandishing her sword, "Now, where would be the fun in that?"

He looked at her primary weapon, trying to think of a way to either escape or kill her. Her sword looked more like an early razor blade than a sword, but it got the job done. They didn't call her Slingblade for nothing.

"What's the matter, Megsy? Afraid you'll get your ass kicked?"

He snorted, "By you? Hardly!"

"Liar."

Quickly, he reviewed his options. Slingblade was obviously pissed, as well as being in perfect condition. He was equally pissed, but was far from being in perfect condition. If he chose to engage her, he would lose in a matter of moments. So, choosing to fight another day, he transformed and activated his jets. "Until another time, my _old friend_, yess." he said, flying off.

"Coward!" she yelled after him. Her attention immediately turned to the Maximal that lay at her feet. Sheathing her sword, she dropped to her knees beside him and looked over his battered body. "Dear Primus…" she murmured, "I don't know if I can do much for you, but I'll try."

He coughed and looked at her weakly, "No. …I am…already…too far gone… There is…nothing…you can do."

"Yes, there is. There has to be!"

"There…isn't. …Leave me…I cannot…be…salvaged…"

"No!" The determination in her voice startled even her. "No! I am _not_ just going to sit around and do nothing while another comrade is taken from me!" A compartment popped open in her left forearm, and she pulled a small cord from within it. Carefully, she attached it to his neck.

"What…are you doing?"

"Energy transfer. You should be able to go into stasis as soon as I start sharing my energy with you."

Weakly, he shook his head, and coughed again. "Won't work. …I'm not…going to…make it…"

"No, damnit! I've fought too many battles, lost too many friends! I'm not going to lose another soul to theses Primus-damn wars!" She activated the energy transfer, knowing that she was going to have to put him into stasis herself. Quickly, she pulled another wire from her forearm and plugged it into his neck; this should give her access to his internal computer. Yet again, she found herself thanking Primus himself for her experience as a battlefield medic.

"No… I'm-" Before he could finish his sentence, he was overcome with a violent fit of coughing.

Those few milliseconds that it took for her computer to link to his seemed like an eternity. _Primus, he's weak…_ she thought, pumping her own energy into his dieing body. _There!_ The link activated, and she ordered his computer to put him into stasis _immediately_.

He went limp and his optics darkened as he was forced into stasis.

Slingblade sighed in relief, disconnected herself from him, and returned her cords to their proper place. She had no idea if reinforcements were on the way or not. All she knew was that she had just run off her oldest rival and had just saved the life of a 'bot that she didn't know from Adam (metaphorically speaking). _Damn…what a day…_

A startled gasp from behind her had her on her feet and unsheathing her sword in a blur. A short 'bot stood behind her, mouth agape. He was soon surrounded by four others.

"Who are you?" the tallest one asked, as the others surrounded the 'bot that she had just put into stasis.

She relaxed a bit, noting that they had Maximal scents. "My name is Slingblade. I'm assuming you're all Maximals."

He nodded, "My name is Optimus Primal."

She sighed in relief, and sheathed her sword, "Oh, good. I was afraid you were all scrap."

"Is Dinobot…dead?" asked one of the Maximals. He was kneeling beside the fallen warrior with the short one.

_Oh, Primus._ she thought. _He's just a kid! He shouldn't be seeing stuff like this!_ "No. Not yet, anyway." So, his name was Dinobot. Odd; that wasn't a Maximal name. Then again, neither was Slingblade.

"Rhinox, get Dinobot. Cheetor, you help him." Optimus said. "We need to get him back to the base ASAP."

Quickly, a stout-looking Maximal and the child picked up Dinobot's body. Optimus transformed into what Slingblade assumed was some type of primate, and the stout one climbed onto him with Dinobot in tow. The young one transformed into some type of feline, the short one into a rodent, and one that she hadn't paid much attention to transformed into a canine with wings.

"Silverbolt, take Slingblade. Maximals, move out!" Optimus commanded before lifting off with the stout one and young one. The rat sped off, leaving her alone with the remaining Maximal.

She recognized his scent; he had been in the stasis-pod that she had used to gather information.

"Ma'am." he said, bowing slightly and motioning to his back.

Uncertainly, she climbed on, and then, they were off.

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"What's wrong?" Silverbolt asked, as Slingblade tightened her arms around his neck and buried her face deeper into his fur, whimpering slightly.

"I _hate_ flying." she answered. "Heights I don't mind, but flying..."

He smiled, "Fear not; I won't let you fall."

"Please don't."

"We're almost there."

"Good."

"I don't mean to pry, but where did you come from?"

"My pod crashed when yours did. Unfortunately, I wasn't found, and have spent the last week wandering through the middle of nowhere, following the trail of anything that had a Maximal scent. I'll explain everything later."

He nodded, "All right. We're here anyway."

"Good."

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After Dinobot had been put into a CR chamber and the introductions were made, Slingblade told her story from the moment she awakened to the moment that they had found her with Dinobot.

"I've heard of you." Cheetor said. "You were a _really_ high-ranking general during the Great War. A Decepticon general. But, several hundred years after the war, you swore allegiance to the Autobots for, as you put it, personal reasons. Your relationship with the Autobots was a bit on the rocky side, but it worked out. Then, when the Autobots began dieing out, you were reformatted as a Maximal." A smile appeared on his face, "This is _so cool_! We're in the presence of one of the greatest warriors in history!"

Embarrassed, Slingblade smiled. "I'm not a 'great warrior', Cheetor. I was just an average 'bot doin' her job."

"Whatever!"

"What made you join this mission, Slingblade?" Optimus asked.

She shrugged, "Cybertron was boring, and I couldn't go back to Destron. I needed fresh air." _And, I needed to escape my past, but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen any time soon._

"What made you save Chopperface?" Rattrap asked, beginning to come out of his shock at almost losing Dinobot.

"I used to double as a medic during the War." Slingblade explained, "Part of it was instinct and part of it was because I don't like to see 'bots suffer regardless of what side they're on."

"But, you're a Decepticon! Since when did dey not like ta see others suffer?"

"Rattrap, my reasons are far too personal and painful for me to explain them right now. …But, I will say this; I have gone through some things in my life that others should never have to go through. I refuse to let others suffer when there's something that I can do for them. Even if it's something as small as comforting them in their last moments."

"Why were you a medic? Why would a general of your rank _want_ ta double as a medic?"

She shrugged, "Hey, if those guys were willing to follow orders that might get them hurt or worse, the least I could do is try to patch them up as best I could. …Doubling as a medic changes your mentality some; you see exactly how fragile life can be."

"I'm glad you got to Dinobot when you did, Slingblade." Rhinox said, looking over some readouts of Dinobot's vitals. "He would've been too far gone by the time we got there."

She shrugged, "Just doin' my job."

"Sorry we didn't find you." Optimus said. "The Transwarp explosion scrambled our scanners for a while."

"Ah, don't worry about it. I needed the walk. …By the way, where the heck are we?"

"I think _when_ would be more appropriate." Optimus sighed, before launching into the long story of how the Beast Wars got started.

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Several hours later, Slingblade was flipping through some files on the Earth's geography while casting small glances at Silverbolt, who was sitting beside her, pointing out important locations starting with those closest to the _Axalon_ and going out. The Fuzor had taken to her immediately, which was a bit strange to her; she wasn't used to making friends this fast. Usually, her Decepticon history slowed that process down quite a bit. But, Silverbolt didn't seem to mind that.

_He's got this air of innocence around him._ she thought, studying his face out of the corner of one optic as he pointed out the location of a popular Predacon hangout. _However, it's just that: an air. I see much darkness in him. Darkness that someone like him should never have. …Hmmm… I wonder where it came from…_

"Right about here is where your pod should've landed." he said, pointing to a spot on the map. "Wow. You were actually in Predacon territory."

"Oh, goody." she replied.

"They might be able to salvage your pod."

"I doubt it. That hunka junk isn't even suitable for scrap metal now. I hit pretty hard."

He nodded, "Ah. Well, that's slightly reassuring."

She grinned.

"Here's the Predacon base."

Her smile vanished, and she growled low in her throat. "So, _that's_ where Megatron hides."

Silverbolt looked at her warily, "Do you…um…have a dispute with Megatron? Other than the obvious?"

"I've known that little prick since he was born. We've been rivals since he joined the Predacon military, which formed before I defected."

"I see."

Again, she growled, "He doesn't deserve his name. He's already disgraced not only that name, but the Decepticon name as well just by living. …Hell, _I_ deserve the name of 'Megatron' more than he does, and I defected after the War!"

"I see. Uh, perhaps it would be better if we moved to another less volatile subject?"

She was about to reply when the rest of the team came into the command center. "What's goin' on?"

"Dinobot should be restored by now." Rhinox answered. "We want to know how he is."

"Oh. Duh, Slingblade." She stood, followed by Silverbolt.

The CR chamber hissed and opened. Slowly, the warrior within emerged into the light.

Dinobot was looking himself over, "No. No! This isn't right!"

"What's not right?" Optimus asked.

The raptor looked at him, "I'm not supposed to be here! I'm supposed to be dead!"

"You would be if Slingblade hadn't have gotten to you when she did."

"Who?"

The Maximal leader pointed to the newest recruit, who stepped forward.

"How could you do this?!" Dinobot demanded.

"What?" Slingblade asked. "I don't understand."

"This!" He pointed to himself, "I'm not supposed to be like this! I'm supposed to be dead!"

"But…I couldn't just let you die-"

"Why not? I wasn't supposed to live through that battle! I was supposed to _die_! It's not supposed to be like this! How could you do this to me?!" And with that, he spun around and stormed down the hallway.

"I…I don't understand." Slingblade said, her voice breaking slightly. "I…I was just trying to help..."

Gently, Optimus put one hand on her shoulder, "You _did_ help, Slingblade. Dinobot's just not very appreciative of other people's efforts sometimes."

She shook her head, and looked at the floor, darkening her green optics. For some reason, Dinobot's outburst had hurt her worse than her stasis-pod's crash had. Why it hurt so much, she didn't know; she hadn't known him a full day yet. It wasn't like they had known each other for several years. ...She had only wanted to help him…

Silverbolt took her trembling hands in his and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"I just wanted to help." she whispered.

Author's Note; And so ends the first chapter of my second series. Hope you liked it. The inspiration for this series' title came from the poem _Ulysses_ by Lord Alfred Tennyson. Beautiful poem. If you haven't read it, you should. If things work out, I'll try to put it in the last chapter. Anyway, enough of my mindless babble. More to come!


	2. Aftermath

Disclaimer; I own Slingblade and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Ulysses

Chapter 2

Aftermath

by Switchblade X

Dinobot stared at his sword, cold fury burning in his optics. He was contemplating suicide now more than ever.

He wasn't supposed to have survived that battle! He was supposed to have died a hero's death! It was his _destiny_! But, no! No! That damned femme had to come along and screw everything up! She had made him look like a fool!

Death before dishonor. That had been the motto that he had lived by for so many millennia, but he had given that up once the Beast Wars had gotten into full swing. He had been dishonored so many times…

That battle in the valley had been his one chance to redeem himself, and it had been taken from him!

_I should kill her._ he thought, watching his sword's blades turn. _I should kill her for what she did to me._

**_She didn't know any better! _**his rational side screamed. **_Slingblade didn't know you at all, and she saved your life! You shouldn't be angry with her; you should be grateful!_**

_That was my one chance to redeem my honor, and she took it from me!_ he argued.

**_She didn't know better, Dinobot! Primus almighty, she was just trying to help!_**

_Well, she could've taken her 'help' elsewhere!_

**Elsewhere?! Where the hell is 'elsewhere'?!**

I don't know!

**…Suicide is dishonorable, Dinobot. You know that.**

So? I have been dishonored so many times! What's once more?

**You will be remembered by your suicide, not your life.**

And I should care why?

**Coward.**

With an angry roar, he flung his sword aside. His shoulders slumped, _You know you've gone insane when you have arguments with that stupid voice in the back of your mind and the voice wins._

He should apologize to her, he knew that. She didn't know any better, and had just been doing her job. But, his pride wouldn't allow him to stand up and find her.

The voice in the back of his mind snorted, **_You're pathetic._**

Go to hell! he snapped.

**_If I go, I'm taking you with me._**

_Smartass._

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Cheetor had been given the job of showing Slingblade around the base. Needless to say, he was enjoying it; it made him feel important. "And this is where everybody's quarters are." he said, gesturing to the hallway that they were about to go down.

"Okay." Slingblade replied, following him. She was thoroughly bored, but acted interested for Cheetor's sake; he was enjoying this, and she wasn't going to ruin it.

"Optimus has the first room. Rhinox is beside him," he pointed to each door as they passed, "then me, Rattrap, Silverbolt, and Dinobot." He stopped in front of the door that he had identified as Silverbolt's, and faced her. "Uh, your room is between Dinobot's and Silverbolt's. If you don't want to be…you know…that close to Dinobot, I can tell Optimus to reassign you."

She smiled, touched by his concern. "I appreciate your concern, Cheetor, but I can take care of myself. I've dealt with 'bots who were ten times as scary as Dinobot before."

"I bet you have." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and looked down, somewhat embarrassed, "Uh…if you don't care… could you maybe, I dunno, sometime tell me some stories about your life? I'd really like to hear about your past; the history data pads are really un-descriptive."

Again, she smiled. She'd only known Cheetor for a few hours, and already he was beginning to feel like the little brother that she never got to know. "I'd be glad to tell you. In fact, I kind of want to know how badly the Autobots distorted things."

He grinned, "Cool."

Dinobot's door hissed open, and he stalked out into the hallway. He stopped upon seeing Cheetor and Slingblade and snarled. "What are you two doing down here?"

Seeing that Slingblade was the closest to Dinobot, Cheetor stepped between the two. He had no intentions of letting Dinobot hurt the newcomer. "I was just showing Slingblade around." he answered.

Dinobot snarled again, and shoved past the two. Part of him wanted to apologize to her, but another part didn't. So, he stalked down the hallway instead.

"Huh. He's friendly." Slingblade sarcastically said.

"Ah, Dinobot's always like that. Deep down, though, he's a really good guy. He just doesn't want anybody to know it."

She nodded, "Oh. I, uh, guess he's still mad at me."

"He'll get over it."

"I hope so."

He put a hand on her shoulder, and began leading her toward the elevator. "Slingblade, you did your best. You had never seen Dinobot before and you still helped him; there's no need to regret that. It's like Big Bot said; Dinobot's just not very appreciative of other people's efforts sometimes."

"Yeah, I guess. Still, though, I didn't want to make him mad."

He let her enter the elevator first before stepping in himself, "He'll get over it. Sooner or later."

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A bit later, Slingblade was exploring her new patrol route. At first, she had enjoyed seeing the scenery, but that had ended when she caught Dinobot's scent in the wind. Now, she was on the lookout. She could take him if need be: hell, she'd taken down 'bots twice her size barehanded before. Dinobot couldn't be that much different, could he?

Much to her dismay, she discovered that her patrol route ran right through the valley that she had been in mere hours ago. _Damn._ she thought, sniffing the wind. _I really don't want to go through here. I'll have to though. …Primus, I'm tired. But, then again, so is everybody else; nobody slept last night for worrying over Dinobot._

Speaking of Dinobot, his trail followed her patrol route. This could mean two things; one: he was going to ambush her, or two: he was returning to the place where he almost died to try to piece together exactly what had happened. She was hoping that Possibility Number Two was right.

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Dinobot looked up when a black velociraptor with silver stripes walked into the small clearing where he had almost died. "What do _you_ want?" he snapped.

Slingblade stopped a few feet away, "My patrol route runs through here."

He snorted, turned away, and began heading back toward the base.

"Dinobot…I'm sorry. I'm still not entirely sure of what I did wrong, but whatever it was, I'm sorry."

He whirled around to face her, fangs bared, "As you should be! That was my _one chance_ to redeem my honor, and _you_ took it from me!"

She looked at the other raptor for a moment, feeling the anger and hatred that radiated off of him. This was dangerous; he had bloodlust in his reptilian eyes. But, she would not allow herself to be afraid of him. The only thing that she had ever been afraid of was her creator, and she had sworn long ago that she would never fear another thing ever again. "Redeem your honor?" she carefully asked. "What do you mean by that?"

Dinobot looked away, "You wouldn't understand."

"I might."

He snorted, "I doubt it. Femmes like yourself only _think_ they understand things."

"How do you know we don't?"

He didn't have an answer for that one. So, he changed the subject. "…Why did you save me? I was too far gone, and you know it."

She shrugged, "You needed help and I was the only one around to help you."

"Why, though? You knew I was almost dead; _why_ _did_ _you_ _have_ _to_ _stop_ _that?_"

This discussion/argument was quickly beginning to anger her. "Look, I didn't know you wanted to die, okay? I was just doing my job!"

"Your _job_? How the hell is ruining my one chance at redemption a _job_?"

"I meant you no offense! I used to double as a medic and-"

"What are you, some kind of demon sent here to torment me?"

She stopped, trying to remain calm. "…I meant you no offense, Dinobot. I didn't know you wanted to die."

"Well, you damn sure know it now!"

"Yes, I know it now."

"All right, then!"

"I'm sorry, Dinobot."

"The hell you are! Do me a favor, okay? Fuck off!" And with that, he turned quickly away from her and started back toward the _Axalon_.

Slingblade stood there for a long time, thinking about what had just gone down. Dinobot had meant to kill her at the exact moment that he had walked away; she had smelled it. But, apparently his rational side had won over his irrational side, which was good. For her, anyway.

She sighed, and continued on her way. _I'm gonna have to have a talk with Cheetor about who he qualifies as a 'good guy' and who he qualifies as a 'not-so-good guy'._ she thought.

Author's Note; I would like to thank gamafox for this story's first review. I would also like to thank my most faithful reader, Libero H, for the review. I appreciate your thoughts! More to come!


	3. Welcome to the Jungle

Disclaimer; I own Slingblade (a.k.a. Silica) and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Ulysses

Chapter 3

Welcome to the Jungle

by Switchblade X

"Welcome to the jungle,

It gets worse here every day.

Ya learn ta live like an animal

In the jungle where we play.

If you got a hunger for what you see,

You'll take it eventually.

You can have anything you want,

But you better not take it from me."

-- _Welcome to the Jungle_, Guns N' Roses

............

Rattrap looked up from his poker game when Slingblade exited the elevator.

"Hey." she said, flopping unceremoniously into a chair at the table that occupied the middle of the command center.

"Hey." he cautiously replied, studying her closely.

Slingblade's body was royal blue, but her thigh-high leg armor and three indented lines on the armor that covered both of her forearms was royal purple. The rest of forearm armor was black, as were her feet. Her thighs and chest were covered with her beast mode's skin, her shoulder armor had three sections that alternated between silver and black, and her helmet was black except for three small crest-like designs that met in a point in the center of her forehead, which were silver. Her optics were a strange shade of bright-ish green.

All of her weapons were visible; her biggest sword and a short-blade sword hung by her left hip, and two smaller blades were attached to the inside of her left calf. Rattrap found this strange. Why would anyone want their weaponry to be visible? And did she have any weapons _other than_ blades? Surely she had optic-lasers or something!

The ex-medic cocked an eyebrow, "Problem?"

He snapped out of it, "No."

She studied him closely, "You don't trust me, do you?"

"Not in da least bit."

"I didn't think so."

"I mean, you're a Decepticon; I'd have ta be crazy ta trust you."

She sighed, "You and the rest of the universe."

For a moment, he didn't say anything. "…You ain't mad?"

Slingblade shrugged, "Why should I be? I'm used to it."

"Oh."

Silence fell between the two.

Slingblade folded her arms on the table and rested her forehead on them, sighing heavily. "...Rattrap?" she finally asked, not bothering to raise her head.

"Yeah?"

"Is Dinobot always so…bitchy?"

"Yeah. Ol' Chopperface has some serious attitude problems."

"How do you deal with him?"

"Well, personally, I jus' throw it right back at 'im. Ever'body else usually takes it. Why d'ya ask?"

"Just wondering." She stood, "Thanks."

"Uh, sure." He turned back to his game, but kept an optic on her just incase.

"I dunno about everyone else, but I'm goin' to bed."

"Have at it."

"See ya later." She started out of the command center, but paused in the doorway, "Rattrap?"

"Yeah?"

"It doesn't bother me that you don't trust me. Frankly, I don't trust you, either." And with that, she disappeared down the hallway.

................................................................................................................................................

_"You stupid little bitch!" a tall mech yelled, smacking a girl so hard that she fell to the floor of the hallway. "What part of 'I want to see my reflection in these walls' do you not get?!"_

_The little girl raised her hands in a futile attempt to shield herself from her creator's wrath. "P-please, Daddy, don't hit me again! I'll do it right, I promise!"_

_"You'd better to it right!" he raged, kicking her across the floor._

_She bounced off of a wall and curled up into a ball, whimpering._

_"Oh, no! Don't you start this cryin' shit!" He grabbed the metal pipe that he used to "discipline" her with, yanked her up by one small arm, and preceded to beat her as hard as he could. "Do these walls again! And I'd better see myself this time! Otherwise, I'll kill your scrawny little ass!"_

_"Yes, Daddy! Of course! Whatever you want, just please stop hurting me!" she sobbed._

_He smiled, "I'm not hurting you, Silica; I'm teaching you right from wrong. Now, until you stop blubbering, I'm gonna have to keep teaching you right from wrong."_

_She knew what was coming next. "No! No, Daddy, please!" she screamed, as he dragged her into the kitchen._

_"This is the only way you'll learn." he said, handcuffing her to a chair, leaving her back exposed to him. He opened a nearby drawer and removed an energon whip. "You've been a bad girl, Silica; Daddy's gonna have to teach you a lesson."_

................................................................

"NOOOOO!!!" Slingblade screamed, sitting up on her recharge bed as she awoke from her nightmare. Her back stung at the memory. Instinctively, she looked around her quarters, making sure that she was alone. That done, she pulled her knees up tightly to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs, and rocked back and forth for a long time, trying to stop her shaking and slow her breathing. "It was a dream." she whispered, darkening her optics. "A dream and nothing more. He's dead now; you yourself killed him. He can't hurt you or anyone else ever again."

There was a soft knock on her door.

She jumped.

"Slingblade?" Optimus asked from the other side. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." she answered, rushing to the door and opening it.

"Are you sure? You were screaming bloody murder."

"I'm sure. It was just a nightmare; I'll be fine."

He studied her for a long moment, sensing that this hadn't been an ordinary nightmare, but not wanting to invade her privacy. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks for your concern."

"Well…okay." He was reluctant to leave her, "If you want to talk about it, I'm in the first room on the right."

She forced a smile, "Thank you anyway, Sir. I'll be okay."

"If you say so." He turned and headed back up the hallway, casting a backward glance at her.

Slingblade shut her door, and trudged back to her bunk. Sleep would definitely not come now, not after an episode like that. She sighed as she sat down. "You're gonna have to get a'hold of yourself, Slingblade." she said, looking out her small window. "You can't start this nightly-nightmare crap again."

In the back of her mind, she could hear her creator laughing at her, laughing at her weakness. She shuddered, stood up, and headed for the door. She had no idea where she was going, but she needed to take a walk; hopefully it would clear her mind. Hopefully.

...............................................................................................................................................

She ended up following her patrol route. She hadn't intended on going this way, but she didn't know the territory well enough to go anywhere else, plus it was dark; she really didn't want to run into any Predacons in the dark. So, she walked along her patrol route in beast mode, trying to clear her mind.

She wished her memory had been erased like it was supposed to have been. If that had happened, she wouldn't have to deal with her nightmares, wouldn't have to deal with her past as a Decepticon, wouldn't have to deal with anything but the Beast Wars.

But no, no, that would have been too easy. Losing the memory of her hellacious life would be too good for someone like her. No, she was damned to an eternity of nightmares and mental disorders.

She kicked a rock out of anger. _Haven't I endured enough?_ she wondered. _For Primus' sake, I've spent more than half of my life in the deepest pit of hell! That's a _long_ time! Don't I deserve a little down time?_

_You don't deserve the air you have no choice but to breathe._ sneered her creator's voice.

She silenced the voice with a violent shake of her head, snarling at her inability to silence the voice permanently. It was then that she realized where she was. "Damnit." she growled, glancing around the valley. "Why is it that I always end up here?"

"You like tormenting me, that's why."

Quickly, she spun around to face Dinobot, who had appeared out of nowhere behind her. _How the hell?_ she wondered. _I thought he went back to the base!_ "I don't torment you."

He snorted.

"Why are _you_ always here?"

"_I_ was supposed to have _died an honorable death_ here! But, _someone_ took that away from me!"

She sighed, rolling her eyes, "Oh, please. Not _this_ again! Dinobot, I don't mean to sound rude, but, get _over_ it!"

Before she had a chance to react, he spun around, knocking her feet out from under her with his tail.

Slingblade grunted when she hit the ground.

Quickly, he pinned her. "I could kill you right here, right now." he growled.

"Do it!" she challenged, struggling against him. "I have nothing to live for, do it!"

"Foolish girl!" He started for her neck, but she managed to free her legs and kick him off.

Quickly, Slingblade got to her feet and rushed him.

Dinobot regained his footing just in time to whirl around and slam her with his tail.

Slingblade barely managed to roll out of the way before Dinobot lunged at her. Taking advantage of this momentary loss of balance, she pounced on him, digging her claws into his side and her teeth into his back.

Dinobot roared as he fell. Instead of staying down, he rolled, pinning Slingblade again.

She wrenched her arms free and dug her claws into his neck. For a moment, she considered transforming, but decided against it. She wouldn't transform unless he did.

He snapped his head to one side, knocking her loose. He tried to clamp his jaws around her neck again, but she moved at the last second.

Before he could strike, she squirmed out from beneath him, then tackled him.

This little wrestling match went on for quite some time. Finally, both raptors faced each other, winded, wounded, and barely able to stand.

"You're…better than I thought…you were." Dinobot panted.

"Thanks." Slingblade replied. "You're…not so bad yourself."

"It…has been a while…since I fought with someone whose strength matched my own."

"Same here."

"I _will_ kill you."

She spread her reptilian arms, "Bring it on; I can go another round or two."

He shook his head— "Not today."— and headed back toward the _Axalon_, disappearing into the darkness.

She watched him leave, then headed back the way that she had come.

................................................................................................................................................

"What happened to _you_?" Rhinox asked as Slingblade stepped off of the elevator.

"Nothing." she lied, heading over to one of the CR chambers.

"Slingblade…"

She sighed, "I had a run-in with Dinobot, okay? It's no big deal."

"No big deal? You look like you got into a fight with a machete and lost."

She grinned, and stepped into the chamber. "In a way, I did." she said before the door shut.

The elevator lowered, then came back up with Dinobot.

"Why did you attack Slingblade?" Rhinox asked.

"What makes you think that _I _attacked _her_?"

"Well, the fact that you hate her more than Megatron seems like a pretty good reason."

He limped over to an open CR chamber and programmed it, "What I do in my spare time is none of your business."

"Dinobot, you attacked your own comrade!"

"She is _not_ my comrade!"

"Yes she is."

"I refuse to call that _thing_ 'comrade'! She is a pestilence that must be eradicated, and I am going to be the one to do it!" And with that, he disappeared into the CR chamber.

Rhinox sighed and tapped his comm, "Rhinox to Optimus."

A groggy voice answered, "Optimus here. What's up?"

"Dinobot attacked Slingblade."

"What?! Is she hurt?"

"Yeah, but she managed to get back to the base by herself and program her own CR chamber."

"And Dinobot?"

"She fought back hard; he's pretty torn up."

Optimus sighed, "Don't let them go anywhere; I'm coming up."

"Can do. Rhinox out."

................................................................................................................................................

Slingblade transformed upon exiting the CR chamber. She stretched and began to yawn, but stopped in mid-yawn when she saw the looks that Rhinox and Optimus were giving her. "Uh-oh."

Optimus crossed his arms over his chest, "I believe you have some explaining to do."

"There's nothing to explain." She shrugged, "I couldn't sleep, so I took a walk. I ran into Dinobot and we had a little scuffle. No biggie. Then, I came back here."

"He attacked you."

"So? I've fought bigger guys than Dinobot before."

"I know that. My question is this; why didn't you report it immediately?"

"Was I supposed to?"

"Yes."

"Oh. I didn't think it was that big of a deal, I mean, I'm used to getting into fights."

Optimus sighed, his arms falling to his sides for a moment. "Slingblade, this isn't the Decepticon Army. We try not to fight amongst ourselves."

"I know. But, hey, even the Autobots had fights within the ranks."

"Only after you joined them. And, ninety-nine-percent of the time, _you_ were right in the middle of it."

"Well, yeah, but that's beside the point."

"And the point is…?"

"Uh… Good question."

"The point is this; Dinobot attacked you and you didn't report it because you thought that it was no big deal. And, it wouldn't be a big deal if you were still a Decepticon, which you're not. You're a Maximal now, Slingblade. Maximals don't fight amongst themselves."

"Okay, okay, I get it. Geez." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, "I still don't see what all the fuss is about. I mean, yeah both of us got hurt, but at least both of us were able to come back on our own."

"If you need protection from him, you have three options; I can confine him to quarters, I can assign you a full-time body guard, or I can assign you a different shift so that you won't see him."

Now, she was starting to get offended. "I don't _need_ 'protection', nor do I want it! I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself!"

"Slingblade, Dinobot could've easily killed you." Rhinox said. "It's a miracle that he didn't."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you telling me that this little _punk_ who is several hundred years younger than me can kill me?"

"Yes."

Slingblade laughed, "You guys really _are_ nuts!"

"I'm serious."

Abruptly, her laughter stopped and she became rather grim. "So am I. Look, I don't know about everyone else, but I can take care of myself. I don't need to report every incident that I get into, and I sure as hell don't need protection from someone that I am perfectly capable of dealing with myself. Now, I appreciate your concern, but I'll be okay. I'm not going to worry about Dinobot, and neither should you."

The other CR chamber opened, and Dinobot came out, transforming as he did. He immediately saw Slingblade, and snarled at her.

She flipped him off in reply.

"Dinobot, you're confined to quarters until further notice." Optimus said.

"WHAT?!" both Dinobot and Slingblade demanded.

"Optimus, there's no need to punish Dinobot on account of me!" Slingblade protested.

"Slingblade, shut up. He attacked you for no good reason, and needs to be disciplined for it." Optimus snapped.

"But-"

"I said shut up!"-he pointed to Dinobot-"Your confinement starts now. Get going."  
Dinobot snarled, and turned to go.

"Optimus-" Slingblade started, but he interrupted her.

"Slingblade, I said _shut up_! I've had enough of your nonsense and his! Dinobot, go!"

Not wanting to be caught up in one of Optimus' rare bad moods any more than he already was, Dinobot stalked off toward his quarters.

Optimus turned back to Slingblade, "And as for you; get out of my sight before I decide to confine you as well."

Slingblade raised her hands in surrender, "Fine, whatever. I don't need this shit, anyway." She turned to leave, but stopped and turned around. She pointed to Optimus, "I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he decided come after you next." And then, she was gone.

"Was that really necessary?" Rhinox asked.

Optimus sighed, all of his anger spent, "I don't know. Probably not. …But, it's three o'clock in the morning, no one slept last night and I for one am very tired, and I'm also tired of my troops bickering amongst themselves." He paused for a moment, "Maybe I went too hard on them."

"Slingblade, maybe, but not Dinobot. He _does_ need to cool his jets, especially after what happened."

"You're right. I guess I _did_ go a little hard on Slingblade; she _is_ the victim here. …She just makes me so mad, you know? She won't let us help her, she won't let us keep Dinobot away from her, and she thinks that she can take care of herself when she can't. She's not a thirty-foot killing machine with the rank of general anymore, and she doesn't seem to realize that." He sighed, "I honestly don't know how the Autobots put up with her."

"They didn't, most of the time. They tried to, though, they really did. She was just too much of a Decepticon for them, I guess."

"Yeah… One more thing that I don't get; why does she remember every detail of her life prior to being put into the protoform state? Shouldn't her memory have been wiped clean?"

Rhinox nodded, "It _should_ have been. Obviously, someone was shirking."

Optimus nodded, "I think that's what worries me the most about her."

................................................................................................................................................

Slingblade dropped the pile of metal, wires, and assorted junk that she had snuck back to her room on her bunk. After she had left the command center, she had located the junk room and had dug through its contents, looking for the parts that she would need to make an audio player. If she was going to be stuck here, she might as well entertain herself.

_Maximals are so wasteful._ she thought, sorting the large pile into several smaller piles. _That junk room is full of useful things! I bet I could construct a fully functional hovercar if given enough time, and still have enough left over to whip together a motorcycle. …Hey, that's not a half bad idea! Heh heh, I'm turning into a Chopper! Cool._

Making an audio player wasn't hard; she'd done it before. This might take maybe fifteen or twenty minutes, depending on how tough the metal was.

Humming to herself, she dug her tools out of a concealed compartment in her left hip and got started.

So…this was Earth. This was the place where a lot of her friends fought all those years ago. She'd never been called to Earth during the Great War, although she wished she had been. After the war, other Decepticons and even some Autobots told her about their experiences on this tiny little planet. This had, naturally, sparked her interest even more.

The creatures called humans especially interested her. The idea of bipedal fleshlings that were so backward it was hilarious fascinated her; she _had_ to see them for herself.

So, shortly after she had been reformatted into a Maximal, she had secretly taken a road trip to Earth to see the humans. She stayed on Earth for quite some time, studying the humans and their culture.

A few days after she had begun her secret study, she found that she didn't like humans near as much as she thought she would. They were rude, obnoxious, loud, messy, careless, cowardly, and downright stinky. They had no concern for their planet or the creatures that shared it with them and polluted their environment like it was no big deal. They also had no concern for their fellow humans; it was truly every man for himself on Earth.

Oh, sure, she found some decent humans while she was there, but they were few and far between.

And, human technology was absolutely atrocious. Cybertronian infants played with more advanced toys! But, perhaps what got her the most was how arrogant they were; they thought their technology was the most advanced in the universe, and most of them thought that humans were the _only_ race in the universe. Talk about close-minded!

She had almost given up her study when she discovered more of their culture. She immediately fell in love with human music, cars, and literature, even though she wasn't too fond of the humans themselves. Their accents, however, amused her; it was incredible how much variety there was in the people who lived relatively close together. She liked they way humans talked.

As any scientist would do, Slingblade collected tons of specimens before she left; most of what she collected was music and literature, part of it was pictures that she had taken, and the rest of it was information and schematics that she had gathered in the form of notes.

When she had returned to Cybertron, she had spent several weeks organizing her "specimens" and rereading her notes. Once that was done, she came to this conclusion; Humans were a backward race that was never going to make it and, frankly, weren't worth studying. The only things that saved them from being qualified in her mind as a useless race of idiots were the things that she had fallen in love with.

She was glad that she had studied humans, though; they had taught her to never study other races on her own ever again. But, she'd had some fun on her road trip while she was working. Now, all she had to do was keep quiet about it; no one knew about her trip, and if the Autobots and/or Maximals ever found out about it…

She didn't want to think about what would happen to her if they ever found out. Making an unauthorized trip off-world was against the law. A lengthy prison sentence usually followed if you were caught. She was determined not to get caught.

That hadn't been too long ago, come to think of it. And now here she was, back on Earth again. Only this time she was in the past, not present. It was almost ironic…

_Done!_ she thought, inspecting her finished audio player. _Not bad to be made out of junk. Now, let's see if it works…_ She opened the subspace compartment in her right forearm that she kept her personal things in, pulled out an audio chip, and inserted it into the player.

The audio player hummed to life as soon as the chip was placed in its drive. As it read the chip, Slingblade adjusted the volume; she didn't want to wake everyone else up.

Beethoven's _Fur Elise_ began to stream smoothly through the speakers.

Slingblade smiled, and shut the open compartment in her arm. Everything that she had brought back from her secret trip to Earth was filed neatly into that little subspace compartment along with a photo album that was filled with pictures of her friends, most of whom were long dead, and her journal; these were the only valuables she owned.

_Thank Primus for subspace compartments that are easily concealed._ she thought, leaning against the wall that her bunk was secured to. She had made that compartment herself before she had left her childhood home, and was rather proud of it.

As the song ended, she stopped the audio player, removed the chip, and returned it to its place in her forearm. Then, she sat the audio player on the little nightstand beside her bunk, and lay down. _Maybe I should try to sleep again._ she thought, darkening her optics, and preparing to go into recharge mode. _It couldn't hurt._

................................................................................................................................................

Silverbolt was jolted awake by a piercing scream. For a moment he wondered who it was, but then it hit him. _Slingblade!_ he thought, rushing out of his quarters and praying that Dinobot wasn't the cause of her distress.

Her door was locked, but her light was on.

"Shit." he growled, kneeling down. In a few seconds, he had the lock sprung. How he got this knowledge he didn't know, and right now, he didn't really care. "Slingblade!" he exclaimed upon opening her door.

She was alone in her room, sitting on her bunk with her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms crossed over her knees, and her face buried in her arms. She was shaking violently and appeared to be hyperventilating.

"Slingblade?" he asked, cautiously walking over to where she sat. "Are you all right?"

She shook her head, not looking at him.

"What's wrong?" He could hear the others coming as he sat down beside her.

Again, she shook her head.

"Please tell me. You had me really scared there for a minute."

This time, she raised her head. Liquid was streaming from her eyes.

_Oh, Primus, she's crying._ Silverbolt thought. Briefly, he wondered how she managed to cry while in robot mode, but decided to ponder that at some other time. "Slingblade, what's wrong?" he asked, scooting closer to her and wrapping her in a tight embrace.

She buried her face in his neck as sobs shook her body.

Gently, he rubbed her back with one hand and began to slowly rock from side to side. "Shhh, shhh…it's all right. I'm here, I'm here. You're going to be all right." he soothed, wrapping his wings around her and leaning his head against hers. Something was really wrong with her; it was starting to scare him.

"What's going on?" Optimus asked, as he and the rest of the team rushed into Slingblade's room. Only Dinobot was absent.

"Yeah, what gives?" Rattrap demanded. "I was sleepin' good 'til somebody screamed."

"I don't know." Silverbolt answered. "She won't tell me."

Cheetor knelt beside Slingblade, who was clinging to Silverbolt for dear life. "Blade? What's wrong?"

She tried to answer him, but ended up crying harder.

"I bet it was another nightmare." Optimus said, walking over to stand beside Cheetor.

Silverbolt looked up at him, "Nightmare, Sir?"

"You didn't hear her earlier?"

"I wasn't here earlier; I hadn't gotten back from my patrol yet."

"Oh. That's right. …Anyway, she woke up screaming just like that earlier tonight."

"Looks like dis time was worse." Rattrap said, leaning against the opposite wall.

"Frequent nightmares can be very damaging, Rattrap." Rhinox pointed out, standing beside Silverbolt.

"I dunno why y'all are makin' such a fuss over her." Rattrap continued. "She's a Decepticon; she c'n take care 'a herself."

"She's a member of this team, Rattrap." Optimus corrected. "And teammates care about each other."

Rattrap made a dismissive gesture, and fell silent.

"Where is Dinobot?" Silverbolt asked.

"He's confined to quarters until further notice." Optimus answered. "Why?"

The Fuzor looked down, "I…thought he might be…harassing…Slingblade. I see now that I was wrong."

"I'm glad you were."

"Me, too."

"How'd _you_ get in here, Bolt?" Rattrap asked.

"I…broke in. The door was locked, so I had to spring it."

"Since when do you know how ta get past locks?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. I just did it."

Slingblade finally calmed down enough to pull away and wipe the tears from her face. She uncoiled a bit, stretching her cramping legs.

Cheetor took one of her hands, "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake everybody up." she said, her voice wavering.

"That's all right, Slingblade." Optimus assured, "Everyone has nightmares every now and then."

"I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it."

She nodded, and darkened her optics.

"Are you going to be all right?"

"I will be."

"I don't suppose you feel like talking about this one, do you?"

She shook her head.

"Thought so." Optimus reached out, and put a hand on her shoulder, "If you need to talk about it, you know where I am."

"Thank you, Sir."

Silverbolt tapped Optimus' arm. When the Maximal commander looked at him, he mouthed, "I'll stay with her until she calms down."

Optimus nodded, then motioned for the rest of the team to leave.

Before he left, Cheetor gave Slingblade a quick hug. "I'm here if you need me." he whispered.

She nodded, "Thanks."

Only after everyone else had left and the door had closed did Silverbolt speak. "You need to try to sleep, Slingblade."

"I can't. Not after that."

"Yes you can."

"If I go back to sleep, the nightmares will come, and I'll wake everybody up with my screaming again."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do. The nightmares come every time." She shuddered, "And they keep getting worse and worse."

He looked at her for a while, studying her. Something was _really_ wrong with her. Not even Cheetor screamed that loud when he had a nightmare. It bothered him to think of someone like Slingblade having nightmares that were so bad she woke up the entire base. It had also bothered him to see a warrior as seasoned as her quivering and sobbing because of a bad dream.

She was _still_ shaking, come to think of it.

He stood and, before she had a chance to argue, laid her down. "Please rest. You can't function right if you're not rested enough."

She sighed in surrender, "All right. But only on one condition."

"And that is?"

"…Will you stay with me? Just for tonight?"

He smiled, "All right. But you have to hold up your end of the deal."

"Done."

Carefully, he lay down beside her.

"Lights off." she said.

At once, the room was plunged into darkness.

Silverbolt stared up at the ceiling for a while, arms crossed behind his head, wanting to go back to sleep, but knowing that he'd better wait for Slingblade to drop off first.

Slingblade rolled onto her side, trying to give him more room. The bunks hadn't been made for two, after all. "Scoot over; I don't want you to fall off of this thing."

Obediently, he moved over a bit.

She snuggled into his side and rested her head on his shoulder. After a moment, she draped one arm over his chest.

"You're still shaking." he whispered.

She nodded, feeling him wrap his arms around her.

"Everything's going to be all right, Slingblade. I promise."

Author's Note; Incase you haven't figured it out by now, _Welcome to the Jungle_ by Guns N' Roses inspired the title of this fic. Thanks to Wayward for the review. Your opinion is much appreciated. More to come!


	4. Complications

Disclaimer; I own Slingblade and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Ulysses

Chapter 4

Complications

by Switchblade X

Slingblade awoke just as the sky was beginning to turn gray with the first rays of sunlight. She had actually slept these last few hours, which was a welcomed relief.

Silverbolt was still asleep.

She looked up at him and smiled. She'd known a 'bot named Silverbolt once; he had been her best and first Autobot friend. But, she'd lost track of the Aerialbot Commander once the reformatting had started. She looked closer at the Maximal who lay beside her. …Could this be…?

No, surely not. The Silverbolt that she had known had been absolutely terrified of heights, though he hid it well; this Maximal loved heights. …But, Silverbolt had next to no memory of his life prior to the Beast Wars; for all she knew, his name could just be a coincidence.

…However, there were a few personality traits that were similar; wanting to do the right thing, and worrying more about his teammates than himself were two big ones. Still, though, they weren't _completely _the same. The Autobot Silverbolt had a sense of honor, but it didn't include going easy on femmes; then again, Slingblade and Arcee were the only femmes that had fought in the Great War, and Arcee hadn't exactly been on the front lines like Slingblade had.

Silverbolt shifted a bit and tightened his arms around her, but he didn't awaken.

_Oh, Primus. This is _such_ déj_ _vu!_ she thought.

After the War had been over for quite some time, the Autobots had assigned teams to seek out pockets of Decepticon resistance; she had been put on a team with Silverbolt and two rookies that she didn't know. One night they had returned to base, and everyone had gone to their respective rooms for a recharge session. She'd awakened from a nightmare screaming just like she had last night. This had jolted the rest of the base awake, but the first 'bot into her room had been Silverbolt; he had sprung her lock and had held her until she calmed down. Then, he had spent the rest of the night with her just to make sure that she was all right.

And, to make things even creepier, she had been the first one to wake up in the morning, he had still been asleep, he had still been holding her, and he had shifted _exactly_ like the Maximal Silverbolt had. She was even being held the same way!

The Autobot Silverbolt hadn't taken to her right off the bat, but once he did, they were inseparable. The Maximal Silverbolt _had_ taken to her right off the bat, but he talked with her and interacted with her like he had known her for a good portion of his life.

The Maximal Silverbolt was a lot older than he appeared; although he hid it well, sometimes his true age was reflected in his optics, especially if he was tired. When this happened, he looked like he was as old as she was, which was pretty old. The Autobot Silverbolt would be her age _if_ he was still alive.

_Oooookay, this is getting just a bit too weird._ she thought. _…But, this could always just be a coincidence._

**_Just like your return to Earth?_ **asked the other voice that occupied her demented mind. This voice, unlike her creator's, didn't harass her; it just creeped her out when she _really_ didn't need it. It also gave her someone to talk to when she was alone. **_This isn't a coincidence, Slingblade; it's fate. There is something about this planet that ties in to your destiny; that's why you're here again. There's also something about Silverbolt that ties in to your destiny. Perhaps that's why you two met in the first place._**

_This is way too weird._ she thought. _The odds of him being the same guy are, like, a zillion to one! Not to mention the odds of him being on this mission as well!_

**There's still that one chance. Think about it, Slingblade; the odds of you returning to Earth were a zillion to one, as were the odds of you surviving the crash of your stasis-pod. Both of those things happened, so why couldn't this be the same 'bot?**

Hey, it could just be a name. Both Optimus Primal and Megatron took their names from great leaders, so why couldn't he?

**You don't believe that.**

No. Not really.

**I didn't think so.**

At that exact moment, Silverbolt awoke. It wasn't really noticeable: just a slight change in his breathing.

As his vision cleared, Silverbolt looked down at Slingblade, who smiled up at him. _I've done this before._ he thought. _I don't know when or where, but I _have_ done this before._ "Good morning."

"Hey."

"I see you slept through the rest of the night."

"Yeah. Thanks for staying with me." _Dear sweet Primus, we're saying the same things that we did all those years ago!_

"No problem."

"I owe you one."

He shook his head, "Think nothing of it."

"But-"

"Slingblade, it's no big deal. Now, if you don't mind…"

She moved back so he could get up.

_This is too strange._ Silverbolt thought, crawling off of the bunk and stretching. _Every bit of this has happened to me before, but where? And when?_

Slingblade got up and stretched. Her entire spine popped, followed closely by her shoulders, knees, and fingers.

He shuddered, "That's disgusting."

She shrugged, "Normal morning routine." And then, she re-popped the vertebra in her neck.

"Yuck."

She grinned at him, and did it again.

"Our bones aren't supposed to do that, you know."

"Mine do."

"I noticed." He opened her door and let her exit first. "Your body does a lot of things that it's not supposed to." he continued, walking with her to the elevator that would take them to the hallway that led to the command center.

"Oh? Like what?"

"Last night. …Or was it this morning? …Anyway, you cried while in robot mode. We can't cry unless we're in beast mode; we don't have tear ducts."

She shrugged, "My creator had a sick sense of humor."

"…Oh. Sorry."

"Ah, it's okay. You didn't know."

"Mornin' folks." Rattrap said, as he and Cheetor caught up with the duo.

"Good morning." Silverbolt smiled.

"Mornin', gents." Slingblade replied, pressing the elevator button.

"Are you feelin' any better, Blade?" Cheetor asked.

"Yeah. I'm really sorry about last night, you guys; I have frequent nightmares."

"Don' worry 'bout it." Rattrap said. "We all got our quirks. I'm jus' glad it was a bad dream dat woke you up instead 'a somethin' else." He nodded toward Dinobot's room, "Or, should I say some-_one_ else."

Slingblade shrugged as the elevator doors opened and everyone piled in, "I'm not gonna worry about him, and neither should you guys. Besides, what's the worst he could do?"

................................................................................................................................................

Dinobot stared absently out his window, wondering how long 'until further notice' was. He hated being cooped up inside, and Optimus knew it.

_This is Slingblade's fault._ he thought. _Everything that's happened to me since that day has been her fault. I should have killed her when I had the chance._

**You would've regretted it.** said his conscious. **_Just like you regret attacking her last night._**

His conscious was right; he _did_ regret attacking her. His anger had gotten the best of him yet again, and someone had gotten hurt.

_At least she fought back._ he thought. _Anyone else would have just laid down and taken it._ His hand drifted to his back, which was still a little sore from where she had tried— and almost succeeded— to take a chunk out of him. _At least she fought back._

He wanted to apologize to her, but once again, his pride and Predacon programming prevented him from doing so. _The Maximals are making you soft, Dinobot._ he told himself. _You don't need to apologize to a female! In fact, _she_ should apologize to _you_ for screwing up your life._

Dinobot had never really liked femmes; he didn't have much faith in them, and was more than a little uneasy around them. And, he _definitely_ didn't approve of them being involved in any kind of conflict.

Slingblade had been the only femme in the Decepticon Army. She had clawed her way steadily up the chain of command until she had reached the rank of general.

And not just any general; a general that Megatron himself had deemed worthy of notation. Sometimes when he had meetings with his generals, Megatron would ask for Slingblade's opinion first. Not that he ever listened to anyone's opinion but his own. Megatron trusted Slingblade more than some of his other generals; he knew she wasn't stupid enough to double-cross him, even if she disagreed with him ninety-percent of the time. Which was why Slingblade's regiment had been one of the lucky ones: they had been left behind to "hold down the fort" on Cybertron while the Great War carried over to Earth.

Dinobot ought to know; he had been a lieutenant general in Slingblade's regiment. She had relied on his ability to strategize more than once, and had trusted him almost to a fault. And he had trusted her. In fact, she was the only female that he had _ever_ trusted.

The fact that she didn't recognize him shocked him a bit, but then again, he had changed a lot since the Great War. As had she.

Slingblade used to be absolutely _vicious_ in battle, even if she did double as a medic. On more than one occasion, she had led the charge on Autobot cities, slaughtering anyone in sight, including innocent bystanders. The only time she wasn't fierce, cold, and ruthless was when she was patching up one of her own. Now, though, she acted as though she had always been a Maximal. The Autobots had softened her up considerably.

He chuckled; Slingblade thought that he had been born long after the Great War and was several hundred years younger than her, but in reality he was two and a half years older than her. Perhaps he should tell her. …Nah, letting her think that he was just another Predacon was too much fun.

He yawned. After Slingblade had screamed, he hadn't been able to sleep. He knew about his former commander's nightly nightmares, but he didn't know what caused them. All he knew about her was; she'd had a rough childhood, had a little brother out there somewhere that she was looking diligently for, but would probably never find, and had defected after the war for reasons only she knew.

Even though he had become used to her nightmares, this last one had caused him some concern; this one seemed to be worse than any nightmare she'd ever had before. And, even though he would never admit it, he still cared for her; it worried him to see her in such a state of distress. Had he not been confined to quarters, he probably would have been the first one to her door.

He didn't want to hate Slingblade, but found that he couldn't keep from it. First off, she had abandoned her own kind; that was strike one. Then, she had screwed up his one chance at redemption; that was strike two. And now, she had Optimus mad at him, which had resulted in his confinement. Strike three.

But, that one little part of him that still cared about her wouldn't allow the rest of him to declare her out. That one part was begging him to give her another chance.

Slingblade was one of the few 'bots that he had called 'friend'. He couldn't just turn his back on her completely, could he?

_Megatron was your friend for a long time, and look at what happened; you're now mortal enemies._ he reminded himself.

**_Slingblade's different, though._** his conscious protested. **_You know for a fact that she would never treat you like Megatron did._**

Oh, really? he challenged. _Then why did she defect? Why did she deny me my redemption? Is that not betrayal?_

His conscious didn't have an answer for that.

................................................................................................................................................

"Uh, Rhinox? What're you doing?" Cheetor asked.

Rhinox had been lying on his back under a computer console, half of his body draped in the darkness that lurked behind the metal that encased the wiring of this computer as well as the rest of the computers that occupied the command center. He had slid out of the little hole and sat up when the quartet had entered the room. "A wire came loose under this thing." he explained. "I was trying to hook it back up, but my fingers are too big."

"Let me do it; my fingers are small." Slingblade volunteered.

"You'll have to take a panel off; this hole's not big enough for both of us." He held up a screwdriver.

She took the tool, knelt beside him, and went to work removing the panel that was beside his hole. That done, she lay down on her back, scooted under the console, and waited for Rhinox to do the same.

"See that green wire?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"It's supposed to connect to that outlet right there." He pointed to a small hole in front of them. "I've hooked this wire back up a hundred times, but it just won't stay. I guess I can't hook it up right because of the size of my fingers."

She reached up and took hold of the little green wire, then guided it to the hole.

"Be careful, you might get shocked." Rhinox said, just as she pushed the wire into the outlet.

Sparks flew and Slingblade screamed.

"Get 'em outta dere!" Rattrap yelled. He and Cheetor pulled Rhinox out by his feet, and Silverbolt went for Slingblade.

As soon as he was out, Rhinox scrambled over to Slingblade, who had smoke rising from her body. "Slingblade! Slingblade, can you hear me?"

Her optics flickered a few times, then lit up. "Whooooa." she said. "That was great! Can I do it again?"

A collective sigh of relief went through her male comrades.

"No." Rhinox answered as he climbed to his feet and helped her up. "But thanks for your help."

She shrugged, "Hey, no problem. That was fun."

"Yep, her circuits are fried." Rattrap decided.

"Dude, I've been struck by lightning before; that little jolt was nothing." She paused for a moment, then smiled, "Awww, how cute! You care!"

Rattrap snorted, "Peh! Hardly! I jus', y'know, don' want us ta lose a soldier, dat's all."

"Admit it, Rattrap, deep down you really do like me."

"I do not."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not!"

"Do too."

"Do not!"

"I can keep this up all day. Do too."

"So can I. Do not."

"All right, that's enough!" Rhinox interrupted. "Slingblade, come with me to the lab; I need to check you out just to be safe."

Obediently, she followed him. "Do too." she mouthed over her shoulder before exiting the command center.

"Femmes!" Rattrap exclaimed, throwing up his hands as he knelt down and began to put the panels that Rhinox and Slingblade had removed back in their places.

Cheetor chuckled, "She was just messin' with ya, Rattrap."

"Yeah, I know." He finished with the panels and stood up, "Airazor was never like dat."

"Everyone is different, Rattrap." Silverbolt said, opening the roof hatch and transforming. "If you'll excuse me, I have a patrol route to run." And with that, he lifted off and disappeared into the sky.

It took Cheetor and Rattrap all of ten seconds to remember that Silverbolt didn't have to leave for patrol for another two hours.

................................................................................................................................................

"Well, it looks like you're okay." Rhinox said, watching Slingblade jump down from the examination table.

"Good." she replied.

"Yes, good." Optimus agreed, "I'd hate to lose a warrior because of something as small as a shock." He had met Rhinox and Slingblade on his way to the command center and had followed them to the lab, wanting to know if Slingblade would be all right.

"Uh, Big Bot?" Cheetor asked over Optimus' commlink.

"What is it, Cheetor?"

"Silverbolt doesn't have to leave for patrol for another two hours, right?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"He left for 'patrol' a few minutes ago. Rattrap managed to track his signal." He faltered.

"…And?"

"He's headed toward Predacon territory."

"WHAT?!"

"We've also picked up a Predacon energy signature in that area. Dunno who it is, yet. …You don't think he's a spy, do you?"

"I…I don't know, Cheetor. …I hope not."

"What're we gonna do, Optimus?" Rhinox asked. "Somebody needs to go after him."

"I'll go." Slingblade volunteered. "I'm in the mood to slag somebody all of a sudden. I'll need a gun, though."

"Are you up to it?" Optimus asked.

"Hell yeah."

"All right. But, _be careful_; we don't know who that Predacon is. For all we know, it could be Rampage."

"I fear no 'bot."

"Let's hope so. Grab a gun before you leave the base; I'll have Rattrap transmit the coordinates to you. Now, get going; we can't waste time."

She snapped to attention and saluted— "Yes, Sir!"— then transformed and rushed out of the lab.

"You don't think…?" Rhinox trailed off.

"I hope not, Rhinox." Optimus replied wearily. "I hope not."

................................................................................................................................................

"You stink."

Silverbolt blinked, "I do?"

"Yeah." She sniffed his shoulder, "You smell like…Slingblade."

"Oh, that. There was an…accident…at the base this morning. Slingblade was nearly electrocuted."

She chuckled, "Really?"

He nodded.

"Typical Maximal clumsiness."

"You were a Maximal. You still are, deep down."

She sighed, "Bowser, for once can you lay off of that subject? I just want to spend a few hours with you, that's all."

"As you wish, m'lady."

"Thank you." She sat down on the grass, and watched him do the same.

Today's meeting place was a forest that served as the no man's land between the borders of Maximal and Predacon territory. Blackarachnia had been the one who found this little clearing that had a small stream running through it.

Silverbolt leaned against the tree that they were sitting beneath, and looked up at the sun that was filtering down through the leaves.

"We'll both be in a heap of slag if anybody ever found out about this." Blackarachnia said, snuggling into his side and resting her head on his shoulder.

"I would suffer any punishment for you." he replied, wrapping his arms around her.

She smiled, then froze when she saw two bright green eyes staring at them through the bushes.

"What is it?" Silverbolt asked.

"A snoop." she answered, nodding toward the eyes. "Go see who it is."

As soon as Silverbolt stood up, the eyes disappeared as their owner made a headlong dash through the dense foliage.

Both Silverbolt and Blackarachnia gave chase.

_Is that Dinobot?_ Blackarachnia wondered, noticing the vague outline of a velociraptor in front of them. _No, Dinobot doesn't have green eyes. Most of the time. And he wouldn't have run from us. So that leaves-_

Silverbolt tackled the raptor, and wrestled it to the ground.

Slingblade transformed, throwing him off of her.

Blackarachnia slid to a stop beside Silverbolt, who was sitting on the ground, staring up at the so-called snoop.

There were tears in Slingblade's optics.

"I can explain-" Silverbolt started, not daring to stand. He was interrupted by Slingblade leveling a pistol that had come from the armory at Blackarachnia.

"How could you?" Slingblade whispered, the tears falling onto her blue cheeks and sliding down her face.

"I-"

"Silverbolt, I thought you had more _sense_ than this!" She was quickly becoming angry. "I thought you _knew_ better!"

"Slingblade-"

The ex-Decepticon turned her ever-building wrath upon Blackarachnia, "Get away from him."

Without even thinking about it, Blackarachnia stepped away from Silverbolt. The tone of Slingblade's voice was rather unnerving: low and dangerous.

"Silverbolt…" She faltered, "Tell me you're not selling us out."

"Never!" He slowly stood up and approached her.

"Then what the hell is _she_ doing here?"

"…I can't tell you."

"Then…you _are_ selling us out!"

"No!"

"Slag her!" Blackarachnia shouted. "Or I will."

Before anyone else could react, Slingblade snapped off a shot at the ground in front of Blackarachnia's feet, making the she-spider fall onto her back. "Shut up!" she commanded.

Blackarachnia looked up at the other femme and found herself facing an angry Decepticon general. She didn't say another word.

"I trusted you." Slingblade whispered, turning to go.

Silverbolt grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Then in a low voice he said, "I'm trying to convince Blackarachnia to join us. Deep down, she's good. I _know_ she is. All I have to do is bring that out."

She snorted, "You're in over your head."

"Maybe. But it'll be worth it in the long run if I can just get through to her."

The raptor's steely gaze flicked between Silverbolt and Blackarachnia. "I should _so _report this."

"No, please!" He gripped both of her hands in desperation, "Slingblade, I beseech you, _please_ say nothing of this! If anyone ever found out about this…"

Her face had settled into a mask of anger a long time ago, and it didn't look like it was going to waver any time soon.

"Please, Slingblade! I beg you, say nothing!" He dropped to his knees, "Please!"

She gave both of them a look that would've made even Dinobot cringe and shy away.

_She's going to kill us._ Blackarachnia thought.

"All right." Slingblade finally growled. "But, if I'm questioned about this too much, I'm not going to keep my mouth shut."

Silverbolt stood up and hugged her tightly, "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Yeah…sure." she replied, her tone somewhat hurt. "Whatever makes you happy, Silverbolt." She pulled away from him, fresh tears beginning to spill out onto her cheeks.

"Slingblade?" he asked, beginning to reach for her again.

"**_DON'T!_**" she yelled, yanking away from him like she thought he was going to hurt her. Then softer, "Don't. Just…do whatever it is you're gonna do and don't get caught. Or worse." And with that, she transformed and headed back toward the _Axalon_, going as fast as her legs would allow.

"Slingblade!" Silverbolt called, taking a step forward.

"Let her go." Blackarachnia said, putting a claw on his shoulder.

He hung his head, "I…I think I hurt her."

................................................................................................................................................

"Well?" Optimus asked as soon as Slingblade exited the elevator.

"False alarm." she answered, never taking her optics off of the floor.

"Are you okay?" He looked closely at her.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"What's wrong, Slingblade?" Rhinox asked.

"Nothing." she answered. "Nothing and everything." Before either one of them could say anything, she left the command center in a run, heading down the hallway that would lead to the elevator, which would take her to her quarters.

Optimus looked to Rhinox, who only shrugged.

................................................................................................................................................

Dinobot was jolted out of a nap when Slingblade's door slammed shut. _What the…?_ he wondered, raising up on his bunk.

All of a sudden, music began to blare from the room beside his. He recognized the song to be _Wait And Bleed_ by a human group called Slipknot. Where did Slingblade get human music? He only recognized this band because of some data that he had stumbled across while searching through the _Axalon_'s databanks for information on Earth. The data had been stored in a long-forgotten file, and he had only opened it because it sounded interesting. So, where did she get-

Something hit the wall beside his head. Instinctively he ducked, then realized that it was Slingblade's fist that had hit the wall. She must be angry.

The music got louder and the bumps and bangs became more frequent and closer together. She must be _really_ mad. Slingblade never turned her music up this loud unless she was mad; and when that happened, it was best out stay out of her way. He and the rest of her regiment had learned this valuable lesson the hard way.

This went on for quite some time; the music steadily became heavier and darker, and the impacts became harder.

_Primus Almighty!_ he thought. _Whoever pissed her off did a really good job of it._

Suddenly, a blue fist with purple and black forearm armor following it came through the wall just above his head.

Dinobot jumped. This small action caused him to fall off of his bunk, and he didn't dare get back up until she had moved away. Then, he crawled up onto his bunk and peeked through the hole.

Slingblade's walls were full of fist- and body-sized dents. And she wasn't done yet. She roared, then threw herself against the wall that separated her room from Silverbolt's as hard as she could.

Dinobot flinched at the resulting crunch and thump.

She collapsed to the floor, panting hard and staring up at the ceiling with blood lust still blazing in her optics. She lay there for a long time, her entire body shaking with the rage that she wanted to release but didn't have the energy to.

_What has gotten into her?_ he wondered. _I haven't seen her this mad since Starscream was murdered. …Rather, since Starscream's body was destroyed. …Hmmm…_

It was then that he noticed the tears that were streaming down the sides of her face.

Slowly, Slingblade pushed herself up into a sitting position, and proceeded to silently release what rage she had left. "RrrrrrrrrAAAAAAAAHHH!" she roared, "FUCK!" Her fists connected with the floor one last time, and she slumped, the last of her anger spent.

Her audio player stopped, and the following silence was deafening.

He sat down on his bunk, and leaned against the wall, keeping his optics on the hole a few inches away. "Dare I inquire as to whom has incited the wrath of the Almighty Slingblade?" he asked, secretly glad that there was a wall between them. Not that it would do much good if she got _really_ mad…

"Someone I care about." she replied, standing up and walking over to her bunk. She sounded weary.

He heard her sit down and lean against the wall. "I see. And that someone is…?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"I'm sworn to secrecy."

"Slingblade, do you honestly think I am _that_ stupid? Silverbolt has done something that has angered you. And by the looks of things, he did a pretty good job of it."

"How do you know it's Silverbolt?"

"Oh, please. You and I hate each other, you're not that close to Rhinox or Optimus, you and Rattrap don't trust each other, although you get along well enough, and even though you like Cheetor, you see him as nothing more than an inquisitive child. That leaves Silverbolt, and the two of you are so close it sickens me."

"Damn. Am I _that_ obvious?"

"Quite."

She didn't respond, but he heard her shift.

"So…what did he do?"

She sighed heavily, "Have you ever been betrayed?"

_Irony, thou art punctual._ "Yes. Several times."

"By someone you were really close to?"'

"Yes. …You saw him with Blackarachnia, didn't you?"

"How did-"

"Each time he comes in from patrol, he reeks of her. This only started after Rampage entered the fray."

"Why didn't you report it?"

"I didn't have enough proof. Plus, it would look like I was trying to dishonor him if I was proven false."

"Oh."

"But, you saw it with your own optics. You can turn him in on charges of treason."

"I can't!"

"Why not?"

"…He's my friend. I can't just betray him like that."

_You betrayed me. More than once. How am I any different from Silverbolt?_

"Besides, he's trying to talk her into joining us."

He sighed, "Oh, you _are_ naive. Slingblade, you know Blackarachnia; do you _honestly _think she's going to defect?"

"You never know."

"Primus, what have the Autobots done to you? Blackarachnia is a female version of Starscream! There is _no way in hell_ she'll join us!"

"You don't know that! And Starscream was a friend of mine, thank you very much."

"You adored that traitor, didn't you?"

"So what if I did? He was my friend."

"Try telling him that. You might've thought have thought of him as a friend, but he didn't return the feeling. He might've said 'Hello.' every now and then, but that was it. He didn't like you any more than he did anyone else."

"How do _you_ know?"

"I know more about you than you think I do."

"Have you been hacking into my personal files?"

"No; I respect your privacy, believe it or not. Besides, it would be a waste of my time. I already know enough to blackmail you."

"You slag-suckin' son of a-"

He laughed, "Foolish girl! I do not sink to such levels! Blackmail _can_ backfire, after all."

"Don't fuck with me, Dinobot; I'm not in the mood."

"I'm not trying to anger you, Slingblade, although it _is_ quite fun. I'm just trying to calm you down before you go medieval on somebody."

"You're not doing a very good job."

"I can see that."

She sighed, "Sorry; I didn't mean that. I'm just really pissed-off right now."

"I know. …You're jealous, aren't you?"

"No."

"Slingblade…"

"All right, yes! Yes, I'm jealous! But, I'm more hurt than jealous. I mean, I thought he had more sense than that, you know?"

"Silverbolt's mind works in mysterious ways."

"Tell me about it."

"You wanted him for yourself."

She heard the sneer in his voice. "Yes."

"But, he was already taken. That angered you."

"That didn't anger me near as much as the identity of the 'bot who had taken him. What does he see in her, anyway?"

"I have no idea. He sees something, though."

"Yeah."

There was a long silence.

"Dinobot?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For last night. And for getting you into trouble. …And for screwing your life up. …And for being a bitch to you. …And for anything else I did to you but can't remember right now."

"I…feel that I must also apologize. I…haven't exactly been the friendliest and most hospitable of 'bots. …I owe you my life, and I have treated you like slag. I tried to kill you, and I've made your life miserable since you got here. I regret all of that, and I apologize for it."

Carefully, she stuck her hand through the hole. "Apology accepted and returned."

"Same here." He shook her hand.

"Let's start over, okay?"

"Agreed."

She tightened her grip on his hand, "Hi. I'm Slingblade."

He did the same, "Greetings. I am Dinobot."

Author's Note; Yes, yes, I know; I didn't give anyone time to review Chapter 3. Sorry about that: I just _had_ to post this chapter after I finished it! Anyway, please R & R. (I'm desperate, people!) More to come!


	5. Revelations

Disclaimer; I own Slingblade and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG.

Ulysses

Chapter 5

Revelations

by Switchblade X

"Has Slingblade come back yet?" Cheetor asked as he floated down through the roof hatch.

"She's been back for a while." Rhinox answered, not bothering to turn away from the computer that he was sitting in front of.

"And…?"

"She said it was a false alarm, but I'm not so sure."

He transformed, "What do you mean?"

"She was actin' weird when she came back."

"Rhinox, Slingblade _is_ weird. But in a good way."

"Can I finish my story, please?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure, go ahead."

"Anyway, she acted like she was both angry and hurt. Not physically hurt, but emotionally hurt. She said something about nothing being wrong and everything being wrong, then ran off to her room. No one's seen her since. But, there was a lot of bumping and banging coming from her room; if I had a guess, I'd say she was taking her anger out on the nearest wall. There's _still_ a lot of bumping and banging coming from down there."

"Hmm. Maybe I should go talk to her." He started for the hallway, but stopped when Rhinox spoke.

"I wouldn't. Slingblade is notorious for her temper, although she keeps it in check most of the time. If I were you, I'd let her come out first."

Reluctantly, Cheetor turned around and took a seat at the table. He sighed, "Whatever you say, Big Green. I just hope she's okay."

................................................................................................................................................

Meanwhile, Slingblade was busy popping out the dents that she had made. She hummed to herself as she stuck the suction cup onto the dent and popped it out. She was almost done.

"How many times did you hit those walls?" Dinobot asked from the other side of her wall. She hadn't patched up that hole yet.

"Several." she answered. "Better the walls than someone else, right?"

"It depends on who 'someone else' is."

She chuckled as she popped out the last dent, "Done."

"Thank Primus. I was getting a headache."

"Sorry." She stood up, and walked over to her bunk. "Now, what should we do with this hole?" she asked, sitting down and leaning against the wall.

"Who's 'we'? _You're_ the one who put that hole there, not me."

"Maybe I could open it up more, y'know, so we could talk back and forth."

"And what makes you think _I_ would want to talk to _you_?"

"Hey, _you're_ the one that started it."

She had a point. "So?"

"I just thought you might like to have someone to talk to while you're…confined."

He was silent for a few moments. It _was_ nice to have someone to talk to, even if it was Slingblade. _You've gone soft, Dinobot!_ he mentally roared. _You shouldn't be making conversation with _her_; she ruined your one chance at redemption!_

**Oh, for Primus' sake!** his conscience exclaimed. **_Get over that, already! Both of you have made your peace, so now it's time to move on. There is no need for such childish behavior._**

He decided to listen to his conscience this time. "You…have a point. …But, if we _did_ open this hole more, what would keep the others from seeing it if one of us ever left our door open? If anyone ever found out about our hole, we would be in considerably deep slag."

She grinned, "I can rig up a couple of small holo-projectors; one for each room. That way, if one of us ever wanted to talk, all we'd have to do is knock on the wall and shut the projectors off."

"It must be nice to be mechanically inclined."

"It comes in handy sometimes. So…are you cool with that idea?"

He leaned against the wall, shrugging; "It's your hole."

"A 'yes' or 'no' would be nice; this hole is in your room, too, y'know."

"Whatever. I don't care, frankly."

"I'll take that as a yes, then."

................................................................................................................................................

"An' _where_ do you tink you're goin' wit all dat stuff?"

Slingblade flinched, and turned to face Rattrap. He was talking about the armload of junk she had. "I'm putting this junk to use."

"Yeah? And what're you gonna use it for?"

She shrugged, "I need to pop the dents out of my walls."

He snorted, "Sure."

"Whether you believe me or not is your choice. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm about to drop this stuff; I need to get going." She turned, and headed back toward her room.

"Yeah, right." Rattrap muttered, watching her go. "An' I'm gonna sprout wings an' fly away."

................................................................................................................................................

"You're a pitiful liar, did you know that?"

"Hey, gimme a break! It was the best I could do at the time!"

Dinobot chuckled to himself as he continued to carve the hole out to its desired size: one foot by one foot.

"What's funny?" Slingblade asked, beginning to sort through the pile of components and metal that she had brought back with her from the junk room.

"You are."

"Might I inquire as to how?"

"You're not much of a Decepticon."

"What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"You're just not. You never were very treacherous. Brutal and ruthless, yes, but not treacherous. And you always had trouble with telling several lies in a row. You never even _once_ tried to overthrow Megatron."

"Contrary to popular belief, _Dinobot_, I'm not completely stupid. Unlike the others, I knew better than to double-cross Megatron. And, I prefer to be honest; the truth often hurts worse than a lie."

_That it does._ he thought.

She snorted, "I don't know about everyone else, but this new Megatron is a joke. He's too ambitious. And more than a little arrogant. I'm with the Tripredacus Council; Megatron is a loose cannon that needs to be dealt with."

"What?!"

Realizing what she had said, Slingblade slapped both of her hands over her mouth, her optics going wide.

"What did you say?"

"Nothin', man! I didn' say _nothin_'!"

"Don't make me come over there!"

"Now _that_ I'd like to see."

Dinobot's hand shot through the hole, clamped around her throat, and lifted her up off of the bed. "What do you know, Slingblade?" he growled, slowly tightening his grip on her.

She glared at him, showing him no fear. "I know nothing." she snarled.

"Talk!" He tightened his grip again, and was rewarded with several loud pops and crunches.

"No!"

He squeezed tighter, "Talk, damnit!"

"No!"

"Just because we've made our peace doesn't mean I'm not above killing you! Now, _talk_!"

Her internal computer was screaming at her to either break loose or die. She held out for a few more minutes, feeling his hand tighten around her neck. "All right! I'll talk!"

He eased up a little, "Good."

"You have a right to know, anyway; you and the rest of the Preds are also on the Council's hit list."

"Continue."

"The Council has been after Megatron for years; you know that and so do I. A few days before I was put into protoform state, I had a conversation with an old friend of mine. He said the Council had found someone to send after Megatron. I don't know who it is, or when he'll come. Hell, I don't even know _if_ he'll come now; the odds of him finding this planet are slim. My friend and I were the only ones that knew of this. You _can't_ tell _anyone_; not even Optimus."

"Why not?"

"Because if you do, it could jeopardize not only the outcome of the Beast Wars, but history itself!"

"Hmmm…" He dropped her.

Slingblade fell onto her bunk, then the floor. She lay on her back, coughing, wheezing and clutching her throat, staring up at Dinobot, who had pulled his arm back through the hole. "You can't tell." she managed.

"Considering my source, I think it's best I don't."

Slowly, she climbed to her knees, rubbing her throat, "You're a bastard, Dinobot, didja know that?"

He smirked at her as she stood, "I know."

She shook her head, and went back to sorting through her junk haul. She was beginning to regret her decision to widen that hole.

................................................................................................................................................

"Hey, Slingblade." Cheetor cheerily said upon spotting her as she exited the elevator. He rushed over to her, hoping she was in a good mood.

"Hey, kid." she smiled, patting his head.

"Headin' out for patrol?"

"Yeah."

"Kinda early isn't it?"

"It's my turn to run Dinobot's patrol route as well as my own."

"Oh. I remember now."

"Lucky me, huh?"

He grinned, "Yeah. I get it tomorrow."

"Mm. Looks like we both hit the jackpot."

"Looks like it."

"Well, I'd better get goin'. I'll see you later." She patted his head again, and continued up the hallway.

"See ya!" he called after her.

Silverbolt came around the corner, and spotted the two. "Slingblade, about this morning-"

Without a word, she walked past him, knocking him into the wall with her shoulder.

"What was that all about?" Cheetor asked, running up to Silverbolt.

The Fuzor sighed, "I think I made her mad earlier today. Apparently, she's not ready to let me apologize."

................................................................................................................................................

Slingblade stalked soundlessly through the forest, keeping her eyes peeled for suspicious movement. She actually liked patrolling; it gave her time to think. But, sometimes she thought too much.

_Maybe I did something to anger him._ she thought, referring to her creator. _But what? I can't think of anything… Hmmm… Maybe…maybe the rumors _are_ true. Maybe he _did_ only want me for a punching bag. But why? Why would _anyone _want a child for the sole reason of beating the slag out of it?_ She sighed, _There are still a lot of things that I don't understand. Unfortunately, my childhood is one of them._

The sound of a flier's jets suddenly split the air. Slingblade took a few steps back into the foliage, and waited.

Optimus landed and transformed into beast mode, "Come out Slingblade; I know you're here."

Slowly, she stepped forward. "Yes?"

"What happened this morning between you and Silverbolt?" His tone was gentle, "Both of you look like you've got the weight of the universe on your shoulders."

"We had…a small disagreement."

"That's not all, is it?"

"No."

"What happened, Slingblade?"

She bit her lip, and shifted her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "I…I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"I just can't."

"Slingblade, you _have_ to tell me; this could be important."

She had told Silverbolt that she wouldn't say anything unless she was questioned a lot. "If I tell you…will you get mad?"

"I don't know. I'll try not to if you'll tell me what really happened."

"All right." She took a deep breath, "I lied earlier; it wasn't a false alarm. Silverbolt _was_ headed to Pred territory, but he stopped in the no man's land. The Predacon that Cheetor and Rattrap detected was Blackarachnia."

Optimus nodded, watching her fidget. _She really doesn't want to tell this._ he thought. "Go on."

"Before I do, let me say this; Silverbolt is _not_ a traitor. Okay?"

"If you say so."

"Silverbolt's got this crazy idea in his head. He thinks he can convince Blackarachnia to give in to her Maximal programming and come over to our side."

It was all Optimus could do to keep a straight face. Blackarachnia defecting? Come on! The odds of that happening were about the same as the odds of Rattrap taking a positive outlook on things!

"I left after he told me that. I might have done something…regrettable…had I stayed."

"Why didn't you report it?"

"I couldn't. I was mad and hurt and nauseated all at once. And Silverbolt's my friend. Or, I thought he was. I told him I wouldn't talk unless I was questioned too much."

Optimus remained silent, but Slingblade could see the anger building in his beast mode's eyes.

"Optimus…he loves her. How, I don't know, but he does. I…couldn't just ruin that. …Dinobot also knows of this. In fact, he knew long before I did, but he never said anything about it because he didn't have enough proof."

"I see." All of the gentleness and patience was gone from his voice; only an emotionless, flat tone remained. "Return to base immediately."

She bowed her head as he transformed and began to lift off, "Yes, Sir."

................................................................................................................................................

Rhinox and Rattrap looked up when the elevator hissed to a stop, and Slingblade stepped off, her head bowed. The roof hatch opened a second later, and Optimus landed, transforming as he did. He didn't look happy.

"Get Silverbolt and Dinobot up here, and call Cheetor in as well." Optimus said, anger beginning to tint his words. "Slingblade, sit down."

Wordlessly, she obeyed, taking the seat closest to the elevator.

Rattrap looked to Rhinox, who shrugged and went about calling in the remaining team members. "What gives, Optimus?" he asked.

"Several things, Rattrap." Optimus answered, glaring at Slingblade, who flinched upon sensing his gaze. "Several things."

"What's up?" Cheetor asked as he entered the command center with Dinobot and Silverbolt.

"Yes, what is the meaning of-" Dinobot's optics fell on Slingblade, who sat at the table, head bowed, looking miserable, "Oh, Primus. What've you done _now_?"

"It's not what _she_ did, it's what _you_ didn't do." Optimus nodded toward Silverbolt, "And what _he_ did."

At this, Slingblade sunk into her chair a bit.

"Silverbolt, this morning you left for patrol two hours early, correct?"

Silverbolt swallowed. He knew what was coming. "Yes."

"And you went to meet Blackarachnia, correct?"

"…Yes."

"Slingblade discovered the two of you, didn't she?"

The Fuzor's shoulders drooped, "Yes."

"And you begged her not to tell, because you thought that you could convince Blackarachnia to join us."

"Yes."

Optimus sighed, "Silverbolt, when will you learn? Not everyone has a spark of goodness inside them. Blackarachnia is one of those people; she'll never join us. She's too far gone, and no matter what you do, she's not going to listen.

"Plus, you're so trusting, she could get any number of Maximal secrets from you, and by the time we found out, it would be too late."

"I fail to see how this concerns me." Dinobot interrupted.

Optimus pointed at him, "_You_ knew about this long before Slingblade did, and you didn't report it."

"I didn't have enough proof!"

"You could've just alerted us to a potential situation, Dinobot. We could've handled it from there."

The raptor snorted, "I doubt it. In fact, I can't believe you never noticed it before! Even now, hours after this happened, he still reeks of her poison! It happens every day! How could you _possibly_ miss Blackarachnia's scent?"

No one answered him.

He crossed his arms over his chest, "I rest my case."

"Blackarachnia _is_ good deep down." Silverbolt pressed. "There were plenty of times that she could have killed me, and she didn't. If I can just keep talking to her-"

"Silverbolt, you are _such_ an idiot!" Slingblade exploded, leaping to her feet. "Blackarachnia is a _Predacon_! And to make matters worse, she's a _black widow_! She's _using_ you to get what she wants! And once she gets whatever it is that she wants, what do you think she'll do to you?"

"I…I don't know." His voice was beginning to waver with mounting anger.

"She'll _kill_ you! It's what black widows do! She'll take whatever she wants from you, and then she'll kill you!" She was beginning to shake with rage and frustration, "She'll kill you, Silverbolt! And I can guarantee she won't have a second thought before she does it, either."

"You don't know that!" he yelled. "You don't know her like I do!"

Slingblade's fist came down on the table, making quite a dent, "Damnit, Silverbolt! We're trying to save your life here! And what do you do? You stick up for the person that's gonna kill you, that's what! _Wake up!_ Blackarachnia doesn't love you! She doesn't love anybody but herself!"

"You don't _know_ that!"

"Yes I do! Think about it! Has she ever once returned your affection?"

"No. But, I'm certain-"

"Of what? That she'll change sides if you're allowed to see her more? She's a hardcore _Predacon_, Silverbolt! She's not gonna change, no matter what! Not even for you."

"You don't _know_ that!" He was pleading with them now. "Give me time; I can change her, I know I can! She's still a Maximal deep down, I know she is! Please give me more time."

Optimus shook his head, "No."

"Optimus, please!"

"No, Silverbolt. You've already endangered us enough just by _thinking_ about talking to Blackarachnia. I'm not going to let you go near her again."

"But-"

He held up one hand, silencing Silverbolt's plea, "My decision is made. You're confined to quarters until further notice."

"But-"

"That means now."

Silverbolt growled, then turned sharply and marched down the hallway.

Slingblade sighed, and sank back into her chair. She shook her head, "Well, _that_ went over well."

"Blade…why didn't you say anything?" Cheetor asked.

"I was mad. And hurt. …I thought he had more sense than that, y'know? Guess I was wrong." She made a face, "What does he see in her, anyway?"

"Something that we don't, obviously." Rhinox answered.

Rattrap snorted, "Not dat dere's much ta see."

Dinobot snarled, "I honestly don't see how the rest of you missed that stench."

"Ey, you didn' exactly step forward y'self, Chopperface!"

He glared at the smaller 'bot, "I already told you; I didn't have enough proof!"

"Maximals, please." Optimus interrupted, sounding tired. "Can we lay off of the bickering for now?"

Rattrap and Dinobot reluctantly fell silent.

"I feel like a rat." Slingblade said. "Uh, no offense, Rattrap."

"None taken."

She paused for a moment, "Did I do the right thing, Optimus?"

"I think you did." He turned to Dinobot, "Now, as for you-"

"I know, I know. I'm still confined to quarters." He turned, and left the command center.

Optimus sighed, "This is getting out of hand."

................................................................................................................................................

Later, Slingblade was walking down the hallway that led to the elevator, glancing nervously around. Someone else was in the shadowed hallway, she could feel it. But who?

Suddenly, a hand shot out of nowhere, and yanked her into a janitorial closet. It took her only a second to figure out who it was; Dinobot was the only one who could sneak up on her. The light snapped on in the closet, proving her right.

"Funny. This isn't your quarters." she said, watching the other raptor warily.

"I need to speak with you."

"So you dragged me into a janitor's closet?"

"This is the only place where there are no cameras."

She raised one eyebrow, "Ooookay. You now have my undivided attention. So start talkin'."

"Who is that 'friend' that you spoke of earlier? The one who told you of the Tripredacus Council's plot to capture Megatron before you were protoform-ized."

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know?"

He roared, clamped his hand around her neck, and slammed her against the nearest wall, jarring the mops, buckets, and other cleaning supplies that occupied the wall. "Tell me."

"Well, since you put it that way… It's Ravage."

"So, he _is_ alive."

"Of course. How else could he have told me about the Council's latest plan?"

Dinobot looked at her closely, "…You work for the Tripredacus Council, don't you?"

"Mmmaybe."

He slammed her against the wall, "Don't you?!"

"Why else would I have joined the Autobots and then the Maximals?"

So, she _hadn't_ betrayed him! Or the other Decepticons, for that matter! In fact, she had secretly been _helping_ them all along! "I…thought you had gone soft."

She snorted, "Hardly. I only joined those losers so as not to blow my own cover. It helps to know what your enemy is up to, you know." She sighed, "Poor saps; they never suspected a thing. …I _did_ actually befriend some of them, though…"

"You're a spy!"

"Ah, finally! _Now_ we're getting somewhere."

"You're _still_ a spy, aren't you? That's the true reason why you joined this mission!"

"See, Dinobot? You're smarter than I thought you were. Yes, I work for the Tripredacus Council, and have for years on end. Now…what're you going to do about it?"

He didn't reply.

"The Predacon Secret Police already have an agent in place, and the Council's other agent is allegedly on the way. Like I said earlier: I don't know when or if the attack will come. So, until then I must remain patient and make sure that I don't blow my cover. Or anyone else, for that matter.

"Now, I know that you want a shot at Megatron worse than any 'bot here. Join me, and I can guarantee you that first shot." She held out her hand.

"…And if I don't?"

She sneered at him, "That is not my decision to make; it's the Council's. I'm sure they'll seal your fate after they round up you and the rest of the Predacons. Mining energon 'til your dieing day immediately comes to mind."

He looked at her for a long time. She had him, and he knew it. Finally, he sighed, having reached his decision. He released her, and took her still-outstretched hand, "Deal."

Author's Note; Thanks to Libero H and Wayward for the reviews! Much appreciation going out to you! More to come!


	6. Suspicions

Disclaimer; I own Slingblade and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG-13. (Changed it just to be safe, and on a tip from a friend.)

Ulysses

Chapter 6

Suspicions

by Switchblade X

Three days had passed. Three days since Silverbolt's secret had been exposed to the entire team, and three days since Slingblade had dragged him into her risky game of espionage. He had been free from "captivity" for exactly two days, three hours, six minutes, and forty-seven seconds.

But, as of right now, none of that mattered.

"Buuurn, traitor to the Colony!" Inferno crowed, snapping off another shot at him.

Dinobot leapt out of the way and returned fire, "Eat slag!" He had run into the ant an hour ago on the plains, and they had been shooting it out ever since. Both of them were wounded, but he had gotten the worst of it after taking a direct hit to the right side. He had alerted the base to Inferno's presence, and Slingblade had arrived a few moments later as backup. Unfortunately, Tarantulas had also showed up and was currently engaged in a fight with her.

Inferno roared as the laser blast knocked him from the sky. He hit the ground hard, but got back up, and took Dinobot on in hand-to-hand combat. "I will deliver your head to the Royalty!"

"I'd like to see you try!" His fist connected with Inferno's jaw, knocking the ant back down.

"Dinobot!" Slingblade cried.

He started to turn toward her, but a dart full of Tarantulas' cybervenom slammed into his already wounded right side. The raptor roared and yanked the dart out, but some of the venom had already penetrated his armor; almost immediately, his vision began to swim, and he fell to his knees.

Slingblade roared, and sliced Tarantulas in half. Then she went for Inferno, who was getting up again.

"For the-" Inferno started, but was silenced when Slingblade removed his head in one clean sweep.

"The Royalty can kiss my carnivorous ass." she retorted, sheathing her sword and kneeling beside Dinobot, who was about to collapse. "Lay down."

Wordlessly, he obeyed, struggling to draw a full breath.

She tapped her comm, "Slingblade to base." Her right shoulder sparked, making her wince, "Mm."

"Base here." Rattrap answered, "What's up Slinger?"

"Dinobot and I are injured. We need backup ASAP."

"Can do. Jus' sit tight, okay?"

"I'm not sure we can sit tight for very long, Rattrap. Tarantulas hit Dinobot with some cybervenom; it wasn't enough to do serious damage, but it was enough to hurt him pretty bad. I can patch him up enough for the trip home, but that'll be about it."

"Copy dat. I'll see what I can do. Base out."

With that done, Slingblade turned her attention back to Dinobot, who was obviously in a great deal of pain and was struggling desperately to breathe properly. The compartments that she kept her tools in popped open on her left hip and left forearm, and she went to work.

Dinobot darkened his optics, feeling his chest begin to constrict. His hands balled into fists as a tiny whimper escaped him. Primus, he was in pain…

"Hang in there, big guy." Slingblade said, trying to stop several fluids from leaking.

Something sparked in his side, making him cry out once before he blacked out.

................................................................................................................................................

"Dinobot? Dinobot, can you hear me?"

He groaned as he regained consciousness. Pain immediately hit him, but it wasn't as bad as it had been before. Slowly, his vision cleared, and he found himself to still be on the ground, his head in Slingblade's lap.

"Feel better?"

"Considering my previous condition, yes." He managed to sit up with a little help, noting that it was still a bit hard to breathe, but it was tolerable.

"Optimus should be here in a few minutes." she said as she helped him up.

He tensed when she didn't remove one of her hands from his back, but didn't say anything about it. "How long was I out?"

"Not long. Maybe ten minutes at the most."

He nodded, feeling her gaze on his back. Again, he remained silent and resisted the urge to squirm; he knew she only wanted to help. Ever since they had made their peace, he had noticed how hard Slingblade was trying to be friendly with him. He was also trying, but wasn't doing a very good job of it in his opinion; being friendly wasn't exactly one of his strong points.

"You sure you're okay?"

"I'm sure."

She nodded, patted his back, and went to work on her shoulder.

"…Are you badly damaged?" he asked without turning around.

"Nah. Other than my shoulder, I've just got minor bumps and scrapes."

"That's good." _You would qualify being cut in half as 'minor bumps and scrapes.'_ he thought.

She nodded, and continued her work.

The silence that passed between them was deafening.

Dinobot sighed, and looked to the sky, hunting for Optimus. Now that he knew why Slingblade had "defected", he regretted hating her. He wanted to tell her his true name now more than ever, but couldn't bring himself to speak. So instead, he pulled one knee up to his chest, and rested one arm across it. He almost jumped when Slingblade leaned into his back, but stopped himself before he could move.

"Dinobot?" she asked, curling up a bit.

"Yes?"

"Why do creatures hurt one another?"

"…I don't know. …It's just nature at work, I suppose."

"Maybe. …But…" she trailed off.

"But what?"

"It's nothing."

"But what?"

She sighed, "I might as well get to the point. Did you ever hear any rumors about my creator? About him creating my brother and me for the sole purpose of using us as punching bags and maids?"

He was silent for a moment, "…Yes."

"Do you believe them?"

"Yes. From what I've heard of your creator, he was, for lack of a better term, a jerk."

"Do you think that I might've done something to anger him?"

"No."

"Then…why did he do what he did?"

"I honestly don't know. Some people, however, think that they need to bully others in order to be superior. Or to at least _feel_ superior. Perhaps your creator was one of these people."

"Maybe. I can't help feeling like it was somehow my fault, y'know?"

"Slingblade, I don't know what happened to you, and frankly, it's none of my business. But I will tell you this; no matter what, you are _not_ to blame for anything that happened to you as a child. Do you understand? You didn't do anything wrong; your creator did."

"If you say so." She rested her cheek against the back of his neck, "Thanks, Dinobot."

A smile crept onto the other warrior's face, "Any time."

"…You're comfortable."

He blinked, "I am?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm. Interesting."

She grinned.

"Slingblade?"

"Yes'm?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything. This is twice now that you've saved me. I am deeply in your debt."

"Don't worry about it; I'm just doing my job."

When the sound of a flier's jets reached them, Slingblade got up, and ended up helping Dinobot up.

"Sorry I'm late." Optimus apologized, "You two were farther out than I had previously anticipated."

"That's okay." Slingblade replied. "Uh, can I talk you into giving us a ride home?"

Optimus smiled, "Hop on. I'll try not to go too fast."

................................................................................................................................................

"Has anybody besides me noticed the change in Dinobot and Slingblade?" Cheetor asked, sitting down at a computer between Rattrap, who was playing a game of poker and losing big time, and Rhinox, who was working on his daily data-log.

"What do you mean?" Rhinox asked, turning around to face the cheetah.

"They haven't fought with each other or tried to kill each other for three days. Do you think they made their peace?"

"I hope so."

"Amen." Rattrap chimed in. "An' another ting I don' understand; how come Dino-butt's so aggressive toward Slinger? He was pretty cool wit Airazor, but somethin' 'bout Slinger ticked him off real good. Wonder what it was?"

Cheetor shrugged, "Who knows? Who cares? They're not at each other's throats anymore, and that's all that matters."

"Call me crazy, but I think that the reason for Dinobot's aggressiveness toward Slingblade is because he knew her when she was still a Decepticon. He might've even fought with her, and then had a grudge against her because she defected." Rhinox surmised.

"What makes you think that?" Cheetor asked.

"Well, Dinobot's older than all of us Maximals, but we don't know exactly _how _old; none of his files contain his age, which is really odd."

"So, you think Dinobot might be an ex-Con?"

"It's possible. Especially considering the fact that we know nothing about his life before the Beast Wars."

Rattrap snorted, "Interestin' as all dis is, I still have a question. Why would Chopperface hold a grudge against somebody for defectin'? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn' _he_ defect? Slag, he left da Preds before da first shot 'a da Beast Wars was fired. Why would he have a grudge against someone who did da very same ting he did?"

"Rattrap _does_ have a point." Cheetor said.

The roof hatch opened, and Optimus drifted down with Slingblade and Dinobot in tow.

Dinobot jumped off as soon as Optimus' hoverboard cleared the roof hatch, then helped the Maximal commander pry Slingblade from his leg.

"I _hate_ flying." she muttered, as Dinobot sat her onto the floor. "I absolutely _hate_ flying. …I should've walked."

"Geez. You two look rough." Cheetor observed.

"Oh, honey, this is nothin'." Slingblade replied, heading over to a CR chamber. "Wait 'til you're missing more than two limbs, have a hole the size of a basketball in your stomach, and are staring down the business end of a plasma cannon, weaponless, friendless, and about to pass out from sheer terror. _Then_ tell me about looking rough."

"What she means is; our wounds look worse than they really are." Dinobot translated, limping over to the next CR chamber.

"Yeah." Slingblade agreed. "Y'know, I used to have a lieutenant general that could translate my gibberish like that. …Wonder whatever happened to him… He was a good fighter, and an even better friend…"

Dinobot sighed, and pushed her gently into the CR chamber. "She talks too much when she's in a good mood." he muttered, programming the chamber.

"So, uh, what's goin' on wit you an' Slinger?" Rattrap asked.

Dinobot looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"Don' play dumb wit me. You two are all buddy-buddy suddenly, an' I wanna know why."

"I hate to say this, but I agree with Rattrap." Optimus said.

"We made our peace." Dinobot programmed the other CR chamber and stepped into it before anyone else could say something to him.

"I tink I smell a rat." Rattrap declared. "And it ain't me."

"What d'you mean, Big R?" Cheetor asked.

"I mean dis is too convenient. Chopperface an' Slinger jus' puttin' aside deir differences an' becomin' friends? Puh-leez. Dey're up ta somethin', dey gotta be."

"What makes you think that?" Optimus asked.

"Call it a hunch, but I tink we've got ourselves a couple 'a spies in da ranks. Spies loyal ta da Preds."

"Hey, hold on!" Cheetor exclaimed. "Blade wouldn't sell us out! She's not like that!"

"Is she? Tink about it, kid: Slinger can deny it all she wants, but deep down, she's still a stinkin' Decepticon. And, nobody but her knows da reason why she defected in da first place. Dat's qualified as suspicious in my book."

"Rattrap, you don't _know_ that! Blade would _never_-"

"We used ta tink da same ting 'bout ol' Chopperface, but he stabbed us in da back. If it hadn' 've been for 'Bolt sweet talkin' Optimus, we coulda slagged dat traitor before he got another chance ta sell us out. Who's ta say Slinger's not exactly like 'im?"

Cheetor roared and attempted to lunge at Rattrap, but was caught by Rhinox.

"Hey, cool it!" the rhino ordered, sitting Cheetor back into his seat, "We don't need any more fights."

"I don't like where you're going with this, Rattrap." Optimus said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Neither do I, fearless leader. But, you gotta remember; once a Pred, always a Pred. An', da only ting worse dan a stinkin' Predacon is a stinkin' Decepticon." Rattrap shrugged, "Dat's jus' my opinion, though. Slag, for all I know, Slinger defected cause she was afraid of what would happen ta her when da Autobots got deir hands on her. For all I know, she 'n Chopperface really _did_ make peace. I'm jus' givin da heads-up for when da both of 'em show deir _true_ colors."

................................................................................................................................................

Slingblade emerged from her CR chamber yawning and testing her shoulder. Dinobot was right behind her. "Did we miss anything?" she asked, noticing that Cheetor was absent.

"Nope." Rhinox answered, not looking up from his computer monitor.

Rattrap stood, and walked over toward Slingblade.

Sensing trouble, Dinobot remained a few steps behind her, not wanting to look suspicious, but wanting to be close by incase something happened.

"Slinger, I got a question for ya." Rattrap said, stopping a few feet away near the table.

She looked down at him, sensing something was amiss, "Ooookay. Shoot."

"You never told us why you defected after da Great War. How come?"

The velociraptor shrugged, "Does it matter?"

"Kinda." He paused, looking at her closely, "You didn' defect jus' because you wanted ta avoid bein' punished, didja?"

"Rattrap…" Optimus warned from his place beside Rhinox.

Slingblade's temper flared, and she took a step forward. "Are you calling me a coward?" she snarled.

"Well, I wouldn't put it…" He looked away for a second, then looked her straight in the optics, "Yeah."

Dinobot was half a second too slow. Rattrap had hit the floor clutching his mouth, and Slingblade was in mid-leap before the other raptor ever moved. He caught Slingblade around the waist and yanked her backward roughly. Before she could break away, he held her tightly against his body, and put one hand over her mouth, cutting off the string of obscenities that she was preparing to yell. This wasn't the first time he'd saved one of his comrades from a merciless pummeling courtesy of Slingblade, and he was fairly certain that it wouldn't be the last.

In that half of a second, Rhinox and Optimus had stood and were in the process of rushing to their fallen comrade's side.

Slingblade struggled uselessly against Dinobot and attempted to yell threats and curses at Rattrap through the larger raptor's hand, which was now firmly clamped over her mouth.

"You slag-suckin'-" Rattrap started, as he climbed to his feet.

"Shut up, vermin, or I'll let her go!" Dinobot interrupted. "You deserved that, and you know it."

"Dinobot's right, as much as I hate to admit it." Optimus said. "You _did_ ask for that, Rattrap."

"Don' tell me you're stickin' up for dat _Decepticon_!" Rattrap said the word like it was a curse.

Slingblade struggled harder against Dinobot, yelling even though she knew that his hand turned everything she said into angry and incoherent sounds. She considered biting him, but knew he'd bite back twice as hard.

Dinobot moved his face close to hers. "Be still." he whispered. "Hush."

Reluctantly, she obeyed, knowing that he had the upper hand.

"Good girl."

Optimus glanced at Dinobot, who nodded, then turned his attention back to Rattrap. "I'm not sticking up for a Decepticon, Rattrap, I'm sticking up for a Maximal. If Slingblade doesn't want to tell us why she defected, she doesn't have to; all that matters is the fact that she's on our side now. And if I were you, I'd watch whom I was calling 'coward'; if my memory serves me correctly, _you've_ done some rather cowardly things in your life. Particularly when this war first began."

Rattrap snorted and fell silent. Would he never be able to live down the day he openly refused to cover Cheetor back when the Beast Wars began? Apparently not.

"Dinobot, get Slingblade out of here." Optimus continued. "Stay with her until she calms down."

Dinobot nodded and left the command center, taking Slingblade with him.

................................................................................................................................................

"Don't stand. You're making me nervous." Slingblade said. This was the first time either of them had spoken since Dinobot had carried her to her room, sat her on her bunk, and taken up the guard in front of her door an hour ago.

Without a word, he began to sit down on the floor, but she stopped him.

"Come sit with me."

He almost declined, but thought better of it. So instead, he walked over to her bunk and sat down on the corner farthest from her.

"You are _so_ weird."

"And you're not?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She leaned back into the wall, "Hey, _I'm _not the one that's afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Oh? Then relax."

"After an episode like you just had? I don't think so."

She scooted closer to him, "I don't bite, y'know."

"Liar."

"You know what I mean."

"I know." He turned his back to her, dangling his feet off of the foot of her bunk.

Silence fell between them.

Dinobot jumped a bit when Slingblade's arms snaked around his neck and she snuggled into his back. "What are you doing?"

"Relax, okay? I'm not gonna hurt you, and you know it."

"If you say so." He shivered slightly, the movement making her fingers graze his chest.

She shook her head a bit, and began to pull away, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

He put a hand over hers, "It's all right. I'm just…not used to this, that's all."

"……Tell me if I make you uncomfortable, okay?"

"Only if you'll do the same for me." He dropped his hand to his lap as she returned to her original position.

She smiled and rested her cheek on his shoulder, "Okay."

Another period of silence fell.

Dinobot was more than a little nervous. What was Slingblade doing? She'd never acted like this around him before, _never_! What had gotten into her?

"Dinobot?"

"Hm?"

"I'm not a coward…am I?"

"I don't think so."

She chuckled, but there was no humor in it, "You only changed your mind after I told you why I defected."

She _did_ have a point. "Don't let the vermin get to you. He's a fine one to be talking about cowardice. Besides, spying takes a lot of courage. And, considering how long you've been a spy, you're obviously no coward."

"I dunno… Sometimes I really question myself and my motives."

"You're beginning to sound like Thundercracker."

"Thunder thought too much."

"As do you."

"I didn't _used_ to doubt myself. At least not until 'bots I used to fight beside started calling me chicken for defecting. That gets to you after a while."

"Spying is not a job for a coward. Like I said: considering how long you've been a spy, you're obviously no coward. If anyone ever found you out, you'd be killed instantly, no questions asked."

"I know." She was silent for a moment, "…The Maximals are getting suspicious of us, particularly Rattrap. But, he never trusted me anyway, which was okay 'cause the feeling's mutual."

"I'm not worried about him _or_ the others."

"Maybe you should be. Rattrap has more influence than he think he does."

"I am _not_ afraid of that rat! I never have been, and I never will be! I fear _no one_!"

"Okay, okay. Geez. I'm sorry. …I'm not afraid of anyone, either, but I _do_ watch those around me. You never know when somebody 'll throw a sucker punch at ya."

He only nodded in response.

Knowing that she had struck a particularly sensitive nerve, Slingblade fell silent for another few minutes. "You don't have to go through with this." she finally said.

"What do you mean?"

"You can back out if you want to; I won't get mad. The Maximals are already too suspicious, and I don't know when or if the other agent will get here. It might be too late for us by then. You can back out at any time you want. I'll take the fall; dragging you into the Council's plot was my idea, anyway. …Save yourself, Dinobot. Get out while you still can."

This time, he gripped both of her hands tightly in his. "No."

"Why?"

"At first, I agreed to help you because I wanted revenge against Megatron. But, I have done a lot of thinking over the last few days. Now, I am going to help you not because I want revenge, but because you have become…a friend."

"…Dinobot…" She was speechless.

"I know I'm not the best at showing it, but you really have become my friend. You've stood up for me, you've given me someone to talk to, and you've saved my life twice now. …I guess I was just too angry to see it before. But, these last three days have let me see what you've done for me.

"What I'm trying to say is; I've agreed to help you, and I'm going to help you whether you want me to or not. …After all, friends are supposed to stick together."

Author's Note; My apologies for the length of time that it took for me to finish and post this chapter. I'm working three jobs now (none of which pay me worth crap), so free time is now a thing of the past. Unless, of course, I stay up until 2 or 3 a.m. typing furiously. …Hopefully Chapter 7 won't take this long. Thanks to nannon and Dreamwater H2O for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated! More to come (I hope)!


	7. Mobilization

Disclaimer; I own Slingblade and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG-13.

Ulysses

Chapter 7

Mobilization

by Switchblade X

Deep within the darkness of the small room, two golden-yellow optics lit up when their owner sensed someone outside his door.

"Silverbolt? Are you in there?"

He didn't reply, though a slight snarl crossed his face.

"Duh, Slingblade. Where else would he be?" She sighed, "Are you awake?"

Again, he didn't reply.

"Well, you must be; I hear you breathing."

He frowned, and slowed his breathing.

"Silverbolt, please say something."

_How about 'Go away and leave me alone.'? _he wondered.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?"

_Bingo._

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I told you I wouldn't keep my mouth shut if anyone questioned me."

He growled softly, and looked at the floor.

"Silverbolt, please say something. I feel like I'm talking to a wall out here!"

_You might as well be._

"Silverbolt, please…"

He heard her lean against his door. _Go away. Please go away._

"I'm not gonna leave until you talk to me."

_You'll be standing there forever, then._

"I'm really sorry about this. Honest. You know I'd never do anything to hurt you."

He snorted.

"Silverbolt, listen to me."

He rolled his optics, _Like I have a choice._

"I know you have feelings for Blackarachnia, and I'm glad for that. Okay? I'm _glad_ you love her; you need a little romance in your life instead of all that strict chivalry crap. But, Silverbolt…she doesn't love you back. You might think she does, but she doesn't. Blackarachnia's not a Maximal anymore. She's a Predacon; she'll _always_ be a Predacon. …You can't change that…

"Silverbolt…sweetheart, you know I love you, and you know I'd never let anything bad happen to you; you're like a brother to me. I just don't feel right about Blackarachnia. She's dangerous. More dangerous than you know. I don't want you to get hurt. Physically _or_ emotionally. …I _had_ to tell them, Silverbolt, I _had_ to."

He glowered at the door, _You didn't _have_ to tell them anything. You could've kept your mouth shut like you were supposed to._

"I'd do anything to keep you safe, Silverbolt. And if that means making you mad at me, so be it. …And if that means killing Blackarachnia so she won't hurt you…so be it."

This time, he growled audibly. _If you lay one hand on her, I swear-_

Slingblade sighed, "Please talk to me."

"Go away." he finally said. "And don't ever come back."

Tears began to sting in her optics as his words sunk in. Slowly, she stood. "Okay. If that's what you really want, I'll do it. But, just remember this; I love you, Silverbolt. That's more than Blackarachnia ever did."

................................................................................................................................................

Dinobot frowned when he discovered that the training room was in use. He _always_ used the training room at this time of day. Who was in there? There was only one way to find out. He opened the door, stepped into the strangely dark room, let the door close behind him and…

THUD!

Gulping, Dinobot looked at the sword that had buried itself in the wall all of two centimeters away from his head. _Whoa._ he thought. A weaker 'bot would've fainted, but he just stayed still, preparing to dodge the next attack.

Green optics lit up several feet in front of him, then came closer as their owner approached.

"You missed." he calmly said, pulling her sword from the wall and holding it out to her hilt first.

Wordlessly, she took her primary weapon and sheathed it.

"What are you doing in here?" he continued, stepping forward as his optics adjusted to the darkness. "I'm usually in here at this time."

"Sorry. I'll leave." Her voice was flat.

Before she could get past him, Dinobot grabbed her arm.

She tensed.

"Don't go."

"Why?" She didn't look at him.

"You sound like something's wrong. You probably look like it, too, which is why you didn't have the lights on during your session."

"Everything's wrong, Dinobot. You know that."

"…You talked to Silverbolt, didn't you?"

Now, she looked at him, "Yes."

"And?"

"He hates my guts."

"Oh. …I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, he's just one of many, now." She glanced down at his hand, which was still firmly wrapped around her arm, but didn't say anything about it. "Lights on."

As the lights came on, Dinobot could see how stressed out she really looked. "Spar with me; it'll calm your nerves."

"…Okay."

................................................................................................................................................

Dinobot grunted as Slingblade tackled him, taking him down yet again. They had been going at it for quite some time, and both of them were getting tired. Not too long ago, they had discarded their swords and had fought hand-to-hand ever since.

"Gotcha." she panted before collapsing onto his chest.

"I'll…let you have…this one." he replied, equally winded.

She glared at him, "Let me have it nothin'! I beat you fair 'n square!"

He smiled and rested his head on the floor, "I knew I could get you back to normal with that line."

She looked at him for a moment longer before she smiled and rested her cheek against his shoulder. "Thanks, Dinobot."

"I should be thanking you; I haven't had a workout that rigorous in quite some time. Whatever Silverbolt said to you must've _really_ pissed you off; I could've sworn you were trying to kill me."

"Sorry."

"It's all right. I rather enjoyed it, actually."

She started to grin, then stopped for a few seconds. Slowly, she pushed her upper body up and looked at her sparring partner, a wicked smile on her face.

Dinobot's optics narrowed, "What're you smiling about? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You said 'pissed'."

"So?"

"Congratulations, sweetheart; I have now officially infiltrated your mind." 

He stared at her, "…Dear Primus, you have!"

She laughed, and slowly climbed off of him. "It's an art."

"Apparently."

She reached out to him, "Here."

He took her hand and let her help him up.

Someone applauded behind them.

Both raptors faced the training room door, instinctively going into fight mode. They relaxed somewhat when they saw Rattrap and Cheetor standing in the doorway.

"Impressive." Rattrap said.

Slingblade growled.

Dinobot put his arm in front of her, signaling her to calm down. "What do you want, vermin?"

The rat shrugged, "Nothin'. We was jus' walkin' by an' decided ta drop in."

"That was the coolest fight I've ever seen!" Cheetor exclaimed. "You two are _incredible_! How do you move that fast and still be able to deliver a solid hit?"

"It takes years of practice." Slingblade answered. "You could do it, too, if you'd just put your mind to it."

Cheetor shook his head, "Nah. Hand-to-hand combat isn't my thing. I prefer good ol' energy weapons."

"Which is exactly why you get the slag beaten out of you when your weapon is incapacitated." Dinobot said, picking up his sword and walking toward the door.

"I hate to say this, but, he's right." Slingblade agreed, picking up her sword. "Cheetor, if you'd just put your mind to learning how to fight without a weapon, you'd be almost invincible."

"I would?" he asked, becoming interested in what she was saying.

"Of course. You're a cat; you're naturally fast. Combine that speed with a little strength, and you could probably take Rampage down."

Cheetor considered this. "Hmm. Maybe I _will_ try that. It couldn't hurt."

Rattrap rolled his optics, "Oh please. Kid, you couldn' keep your attention focused on a chest plate-less femme."

Slingblade growled, "It's nice to know that _one_ of you could ignore such filth."

Dinobot, who had been standing in the doorway during all this, sighed. "If you two are going to kill each other, _do _get on with it; I have a patrol route to run."

Slingblade looked at Rattrap for a second longer, "Nah. I think I'll spare him for a while; give 'im time to sweat his _untimely_ demise."

Rattrap hissed at her.

She growled low in her throat before snapping at him, her sharp teeth clicking together a hair's breadth from his face.

Instinctively, he drew backward.

She laughed her cold, Decepticon laugh and sheathed her sword before walking out of the training room with Dinobot in tow.

................................................................................................................................................

The rest of the day went by as normally as could be expected. Cheetor had run into Quickstrike and Waspinator while on patrol, but had managed to come out of it with minimal damage. Other than that, nothing exciting happened, which was odd. A welcomed respite, yes, but odd nonetheless. The Predacons must be up to something.

Dinobot yawned as he walked down the hallway toward his quarters. He had just gotten off of monitor duty, and was more than ready for a nap. He could think of few things more boring and pointless than monitor duty. For Primus' sake, they had Sentinel! Shouldn't _that_ eliminate the need to watch the monitors? He sighed; during his time as a Maximal, he had learned not to put very much faith in their technology. If something _could_ go wrong, it _would_.

_I need sleep._ he wearily though, struggling to keep his optics lit up. _Ten or eleven hours would be nice. …Impossible around here, but nice to think about, anyway._ He yawned again, _Primus, I'm tired. Why, I don't know, but the fact remains; I am absolutely exhausted. …I should be there by now, shouldn't I?_

Someone screamed.

In that instant, Dinobot was jolted out of his half-awake daze. He rushed down what remained of the hallway, and began typing in the codes to open Slingblade's door.

The other Maximals had become immune to her nightly nightmares, and had finally stopped coming to check on her. But not Dinobot. Even though he was used to his former commander's problem, he kept coming in to check on her. She'd had a few better nights when the nightmares hadn't been that bad, but it sounded like those "better" nights had just come to an end.

Slingblade immediately tried to hide her tears from him when the door hissed open. She hated this, hated it like she hated nothing else. She _despised_ being seen as weak, and she was at her weakest when she awoke from one of her hellacious nightmares screaming and sobbing. She especially hated crying in front of Dinobot. "I'm okay, I'm okay." she quickly said, trying desperately to wipe away her tears. The wavering of her voice sickened her. _Why_ couldn't she control herself?

"You're not okay." he said as gently as his rough voice would permit. The door shut behind him as he walked over to her bunk, "You've never been okay."

She bowed her head; he was right. She didn't move when he sat down behind her.

He leaned against the wall that served as the head of her bunk, put his left leg on the bunk, and let his right leg dangle over the edge. "Come here." he said, taking her into his arms and holding her against his torso. Gently, he rested her head against his shoulder.

Trembling, she let him wrap his arms around her and hold her tight. She fought to control her tears, but didn't have much luck. This was the first time he'd ever held her; usually he just sat beside her, occasionally putting a hand on her back. His size and strength comforted her, but it seemed like nothing could stop her tears.

"It's all right, Slingblade. I'm here." he soothed, rubbing her left arm.

His rare compassion touched her. She darkened her optics, and leaned her forehead into his neck. She started shaking as silent sobs racked her body.

"Let it out, Slingblade." he whispered, feeling her tears begin to slide down his chest. "It's all right."

She cried silently against him for a long time. Dinobot had never asked her about her past. Why, she didn't know; he probably didn't want her to feel pressured into revealing her darkest secrets. In all honesty, she was glad he'd never asked; she wasn't sure that she could tell him.

He leaned his head against hers and darkened his optics. He felt sorry for Slingblade; whatever her creator had done to her had scarred her deeper than any weapon ever could. In an attempt to reassure her, he tightened his arms around her trembling body. She felt so vulnerable to him… It bothered him as much now as it had all those years ago during the Great War. He wished that there was _something_ he could do for her, _anything_. But what? Probably the best thing that he could do for her was to be there for her and comfort her when she needed it.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and clung to him. If there was one steady, solid, unchanging thing in her life right now, it was him. So, she clung to him for dear life, afraid to let go.

He felt her desperation. Primus, he wished there was something he could do for her. …She had asked him once why he had started coming to her after the others had stopped, and he had told her that _someone_ needed to check on her when she woke up screaming. This was only half true. He still had feelings for his former commander, and it bothered him to see her in such a state of distress. So, he came to check on her and stayed with her until she calmed down.

Slingblade was trying hard not to make any noise. Needless to say, it wasn't working too well. Although she wasn't openly sobbing, she _was_ whimpering and sniffling. She _hated_ this with a passion.

Images of her creator's face flashed through her mind. Images of him laughing at her, hitting her, yelling at her, and doing unspeakable things to her. But, the one image that _didn't_ bother her was the one she kept going back to every time this happened; it was the image of her creator dieing by her hand.

Her creator's ghost cackled in the back of her mind, _You'll never kill me, Slingblade. I'll haunt you until the day you die, and for all eternity afterward._

She growled at the demon, _I killed you once, you sick bastard, and I can sure as hell do it again._

................................................................................................................................................

Slingblade awoke a few hours later still wrapped in Dinobot's arms. Shocked that he had stayed with her through the night, she looked up at him.

He was sound asleep, still leaning against her wall.

She smiled and relaxed. _So, _that's_ why he didn't go back to his room._ she thought with a slight chuckle.

Dinobot awoke with a small grunt, his arms tightening around her. Once he was sure that she was there, he relaxed. "I thought I felt you move."

"Good morning to you, too." she replied, raising up and looking at him. "Hm. You look stoned."

He snarled at her, but there was no threat in it. "If I knew what you were talking about, I'd comment."

"Stoned means drunk off your ass. More human terminology."

"Oh. I don't indulge in drinking. I see no point in poisoning my body for a few moments of utter loss of sanity."

She chuckled, "You _are_ a card."

"And you're warm." he replied, pulling her back down onto his chest. "So get back here."

"I didn't know you were cold."

"One of the many drawbacks of having a reptilian beast mode, I'm afraid. You know that as well as I do."

"Yeah." She shifted a bit, getting comfortable. "Thanks for staying with me last night."

"Thanks is not necessary. _Someone_ needs to check in when you wake up screaming; it might as well be me."

"…I don't want you to feel obligated to come in every night and check on me, Dinobot."

He sighed, "I don't feel obligated to you. I just…want to know that you're all right. It…bothers me…to see you like that. …I worry about you, Slingblade. I always have."

She wrapped her arms around him. "I didn't know you cared."

He tightened his arms around her just a bit, "I have always cared about you, Slingblade. Always. I know I'm not the best at showing it, but I _do_ care. I always have and I always will." He wanted to say more. He wanted to tell her who he _really_ was, he wanted to tell her how sorry he was for ever doubting her loyalty to the Decepticons, he wanted to tell her everything he'd ever been to shy or afraid to say, he wanted to tell her how he'd felt about her since the day he met her all those years ago. But he didn't.

"Dinobot-"

A small alarm began to sound from the computer that was crammed into a forgotten corner of her room. Quickly, both Maximals got up and went over to the dust-covered machine.

"Have you ever used this?" Dinobot asked.

"Once or twice." Slingblade answered, switching the computer on as she sat down in front of it.

He stood behind her, leaning slightly over her left shoulder, "What does that alarm mean?"

"It means E. T. has phoned home."

"What?"

She flipped a switch on the keyboard, opening up a radio channel. "Tripredacus Council code-talk. It means that one agent is trying to get in touch with another."

"Oh. …How do you know that this is an agent calling?"

"Because he's using the Council's frequency, which is known only by agents."

"Oh."

Slowly, the face of a black panther appeared on the computer screen.

"Ravage!" Slingblade exclaimed.

"Slingblade?" Ravage asked, "Is that you?"

"In the metal. How's it goin'?"

"As well as could be expected. I should be at your location within twenty-four hours."

She raised one eyebrow, "Huh?"

He blinked, "Forgive me, I didn't tell you; _I_ am the agent that the Council was sending to hunt down Megatron. With your help, of course."

"Of course."

"Um, who is that mech standing beside you?"

"This is Dinobot."

Ravage bowed his head briefly, "Greetings."

Dinobot only nodded.

"Slingblade, might I inquire as to _why_ your friend is here?"

"Dinobot wants to help us take out Megatron." When she saw Ravage frown, she quickly continued, "All he asks in return is to have the first shot."

Ravage studied Dinobot for a few moments. "Can he be trusted?"

"Absolutely."

"Hmm. …Well, it appears that you have already sealed this deal."

"Ravage, I trust Dinobot with my life. That should tell you something."

He nodded, "Indeed." The Decepticon panther looked Dinobot up and down, "You seem familiar to me. Do I know you from somewhere?"

_Of course you know me, you mangy fur ball! I used to fight beside you during the Great War!_ Dinobot thought. "Maybe." he replied calmly.

Again, Ravage nodded, "Mm." He turned his attention back to Slingblade, "Prepare yourself. Operation Goose Chase commences in twenty-four hours."

Slingblade nodded, "Acknowledged. Good luck, my friend."

"And to you." He saluted, and the transmission ended.

"Now what?" Dinobot asked, watching Slingblade stand and head for her door. He followed her.

She turned to face him, a smile on her face.

He'd seen that smile before, years ago. It was a reckless, demonic smile that she saved only for a battle that was going to be especially tense.

"It's show time."

Author's Note; Another chapter completed. If I'm not on your Author Alert list, you can keep up with the status of my fics by checking my bio page every now and then. Dunno why I did that, but I did… Anyway, thanks to CyberSpyder for the review. I appreciate it! (Send more readers!)


	8. Arrival

Disclaimer; I own Slingblade and the plot. That's it.

Warning: Due to language and violence, this series is rated PG-13.

Ulysses

Chapter 8

Arrival

by Switchblade X

Someone was outside. Someone of rather large stature, judging by their footfalls.

His optics lit up and he instinctively pressed his back farther into the corner, preparing to defend himself.

Light flooded his quarters as his door opened, making him raise an arm to shield his optics from the glare. A shadow fell across the floor, providing him with some relief from the sudden explosion of light.

"Your time's up." the shadow's owner said. "You can come out now."

Cautiously, Silverbolt crawled off of his bunk and stood before his commanding officer, struggling to focus his optics. He hadn't had his lights on for quite some time, and it showed.

"You can thank Slingblade for this; she begged me to let you out." Optimus said, stepping aside so that the Fuzor could pass by him.

Silverbolt snorted, "I have nothing to say to her."

Optimus frowned, "Silverbolt, this is your fault and you know it; you have no right to be angry with Slingblade."

He looked at the floor, "I know, Sir. And I apologize for my actions."

"I'm afraid an apology isn't going to cut it this time."

Silverbolt looked at him, "What?"

"Until I say otherwise, you'll have someone with you when you go on patrol."

His shoulders slumped, and he returned his gaze to the floor, "As you wish, Sir."

"I think you owe someone _else_ an apology, as well." When he didn't reply, Optimus continued, "Silverbolt, Slingblade begged me for three hours to let you out. Three _hours_."

Silverbolt still didn't reply.

"She didn't just say 'please', either; she was down on her hands and knees pleading with me like she was pleading for your life. Slingblade is not known to beg, Silverbolt. That should say something to you about how much she cares about you."

He still didn't reply.

"…Have you heard anything that I've said?"

"I heard it. …But I don't believe it."

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Cheetor looked at Slingblade, who was sitting beside him, flipping through some files. Her left hand was shaking almost violently. "What's wrong with your hand?"

She looked up, "Huh?"

He nodded to her hand, "What's wrong with your hand? Why is it shaking like that?"

"Oh, that." She chuckled and held her trembling hand up for him to see, "Nerves. Yet another wonderful side-effect of war, I'm afraid."

From across the room, Rattrap snorted softly.

Cheetor looked at his own hands, "Will that happen to me?"

"I dunno. You haven't been fighting for very long, and you haven't experienced very many traumatic things, which is good for you; it lessens your chances of having bad nerves."

He frowned, "Define 'traumatic things'."

Slingblade's face suddenly became emotionless, then a far-away, reminiscing look took over. "Seeing your friends die around you by the hundreds of thousands and knowing that there's nothing you can do…trying to patch up a wounded 'bot who's screaming in pain only to have his head blown off by an enemy soldier before you can save him…ordering the slaughter of millions of innocent people…watching countless innocents die by your own hand…helping carry in the dead bodies of your comrades…seeing children slaughtered like cattle…knowing that every 'bot you kill might be a father, uncle, brother, son, grandpa, whatever…knowing that every life you take might have been the life of someone who could've made a difference…watching a mother and child scream as the husband is killed trying to defend them…being the only 'bot left standing on a battlefield…knowing that you have destroyed literally _billions_ of 'bots' lives and _enjoyed_ every last minute of it and _still_ enjoy killing…"

Cheetor was quickly becoming mortified as Slingblade's far-away look was replaced with a bloodthirsty look.

She saw the look of horror on his face, "Oh, yes, little one, I enjoyed my job. I enjoyed it like I enjoyed nothing else. I _loved_ seeing the brief look of pain and surprise that flashed across a 'bot's face when I killed him. I _loved _seeing the mech-fluid of my enemies draining down my sword's blood-gutters and dripping from the point. I _loved_ having the blood of my enemies splashed onto my body, into my face, into my mouth."

She inhaled deeply, "Ah, Cheetor, you do not _know_ the true thrill of battle! The sights, the smells, the sounds! Killing those you despise most! Drinking your enemy's blood as it splashes into your open mouth! Hearing them scream as you thrust your sword into their body and twist it a few times just for kicks! The sheer adrenalin rush of it all!

"…True, I have my regrets, but they are insignificant when compared to the knowledge that I helped my people stand up for themselves. Besides, you Maximals and Autobots reproduce like rabbits; your population was back to normal in no time at all."

The command center had fallen deathly quiet. Cheetor and Rattrap were staring at her, expressions of horror and revulsion playing across their faces.

"You. Are. Sick." Rattrap finally said.

"And you are weak." Dinobot replied, stepping out of the shadowed hallway and into the command center. "You act as though you are repulsed."

"We are!" Cheetor exclaimed.

Dinobot snorted, "You are repulsed because you have Autobot blood in your veins. The Autobots did not enjoy battle like the Decepticons did."

"The Autobots were a civilized race." Cheetor argued. "The Decepticons were little more than savages."

"We are not savages!" Slingblade yelled. "True, we are a rough-and-tumble race, but we are not savages! We are just as civilized as your precious Autobots!"

Cheetor drew away from her; Slingblade had never been angry with him before.

"Your ancestors oppressed us, treated us like second-class citizens just like you Maximals treat the Predacons! It was only natural that we lashed back at them!" She paused, looking him over, "You are afraid of me. You all are. You fear me because I am a Decepticon. You fear me because my mind works differently than yours; I think like a predator, and that absolutely _terrifies_ you."

"Ey, I ain't scared 'a nobody!" Rattrap exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

"Maybe you should be, vermin." Dinobot coolly replied, walking over to Slingblade, who stood as he approached.

"I feed off of fear and pain." Slingblade said. "We all do; it is the Decepticon way. The Autobots are weak. As are their descendants."

"Den why did you join 'em?" Rattrap demanded.

Slingblade smiled at him.

A chill shot down Rattrap's spine and his mech-fluid went cold.

"You'll find out soon enough, little mouse." She put one arm around Dinobot's waist, and the two of them exited the command center.

Dinobot shot a quick glance over his shoulder. Rattrap was staring at them with pure hatred, but Cheetor was still traumatized. He grinned, and put an arm across Slingblade's shoulders.

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Optimus stared at the blank screen in front of him, a million thoughts racing through his mind at once. He had just finished watching the security video that Rattrap had insisted he view.

"Somehow 'I told ya so' jus' don' cover dis." Rattrap said, folding his arms over his chest.

Rhinox shook his head, "We should've seen this coming."

"I agree." Optimus sighed, "I just wanted so badly to believe that she was a Decepticon redeemed. …I guess I was wrong."

"I say we slag da both of 'em." Rattrap said.

"NO!" Cheetor exclaimed. This was the first time he had spoken since Slingblade had yelled at him.

"Why not?"

"Slingblade's _not_ evil anymore, I know she's not!"

"Cheetor, I know you like Slingblade, but you personally witnessed her Decepticon programming take over." Optimus said gently. "We can't trust her anymore. We can't trust Dinobot, either."

"We shoulda slagged _his_ skid-plate a looong time ago." Rattrap remarked.

"Shut up, Rattrap." Optimus snapped. "We have a situation here, and we don't need your smart-mouthed comments."

Rattrap made a face at him and fell silent.

"What're we gonna do, Optimus?" Rhinox asked.

"I don't know, Rhinox." he answered. "I just don't know."

Silverbolt sniffed the air, "They're close. Perhaps we should confront them now."

"Confront who?" Slingblade asked, as she entered the command center, picking some dirt out from under one clawed finger with the smallest of the two blades that she kept secured to the inside of her left calf.

Dinobot followed her without saying a word. The tension in the room made him somewhat nervous; something big was about to go down.

"Whose side are you on?" Optimus asked.

Slingblade returned her blade to its place and looked at the Maximal commander. "Why yours, of course."

"Liar!" Rattrap accused. "Da both 'a you 're workin' for da Preds!"

Slingblade snorted, "Hardly." With all the cocky coolness of the cat that just ate the canary, she sat down on the command center table cross-legged, her elbows on her knees, chin propped against her hands, and a smile on her face. "Now, if you all would be so kind, explain to me what exactly is going on."

Dinobot stood beside her, preparing to defend himself when the attack came. _She's going to get the both of us killed!_ he thought.

"We have reason to believe that the both of you are spies." Optimus said calmly. The way she was looking at him was making him nervous; she looked amused. "I don't want to believe that this is true, but the security tape says differently."

She grinned, "Surely you aren't going to believe a security tape."

"Why wouldn't I?"

She shook her head, "Optimus, Optimus; I thought you knew better than that. It's not hard to forge one of those things."

"Why would anyone want to forge a security tape?"

She sat up straight, and gestured to Rattrap, "It's no secret that Rattrap hates my guts. True, we got along well enough until recently, but such a shaky relationship can only last for so long. Who's to say _he_ didn't forge the tape?"

"Now, wait just a slaggin'-" Rattrap started, but was interrupted by an alarm going off.

Rhinox rushed to a computer console. "We've got a full-scale Predacon assault!"

"Get the auto-guns online and fire up Sentinel!" Optimus ordered. "Battle stations, Maximals!" As the others scrambled to their stations, Optimus pointed to Slingblade and Dinobot; "That means you, too!"

Slingblade hopped nonchalantly off of the table, and made her way over to an unoccupied computer console.

_When did she get so cocky?_ Dinobot wondered, rushing to the last remaining console.

"Fire at will!" Optimus ordered.

"The shields are taking some pretty bad hits!" Cheetor called.

"Rhinox, divert all available power to the shields!" Optimus looked over Rattrap's shoulder, "What are they _doing_?"

"Ya got me, fearless leader." Rattrap replied.

"Slag!" Cheetor exclaimed, "My auto-gun just got blown up!"

"The shield is down to twenty percent!" Rhinox called.

"Try to hold it!" Optimus replied.

"Hey, what gives?" Rattrap suddenly asked.

"What is it?" Optimus asked.

Rattrap pointed to the screen, "Check it out, Boss Monkey; someone else's firin' on da Preds!"

"Cheetor, see if you can get a reading!" Optimus ordered.

"I can't see 'em!" Cheetor called.

"That's because the ship is cloaked." Slingblade said, walking over to him. She didn't comment on him flinching away when she leaned over his shoulder and began typing in commands. "It's basic stealth technology. If they taught you anything in school, you'd know that." She typed in a few more commands, and the radar disappeared, giving them a clear view of the smoke-filled sky. She zoomed in on where the red lasers were coming from, and pointed to the screen, "See that little ripple? That's your ship."

Optimus stepped over to the two, and looked at the "ripple". "Are you sure?"

"That's where the lasers are coming from. Besides, when you're dealing with stealth fighters, you need to learn not to rely on anything but your optics and audio-receptors. Look here."-she pointed to two other ripples that had just appeared-"There's a wing here and here, and the nose is here. This ship is an experiment."

"How do you know?"

"Easy; I can see it. If they had perfected it yet, I wouldn't be able to see anything but its lasers; I'd only be able to hear it."

"Hey, we got runners!" Rattrap called.

Optimus moved back over to him, and watched the Predacons retreat.

"Looks like our pal has decided to land." Cheetor said.

The Maximals gathered around Cheetor, and watched the ship descend and switch off its cloak, revealing a black fighter that resembled a raven.

"Ooooo." Slingblade said. "I like. I like a lot."

"I thought you said it was an experiment." Optimus pointed out.

"It is. But it's a _pretty_ experiment. A couple dozen of these babies could do a helluva lot of damage once perfected." she replied.

"Now what?" Rhinox asked.

"We should hail him." Silverbolt suggested. "He did save us, after all."

Optimus thought this over for a moment, "…Lower the shields. We'll hail him, but be ready to fight."

As one, the Maximals drew their weapons.

While the ship was being hailed, Dinobot shot a glance at Slingblade, who nodded as she silently sheathed her sword. He did the same.

The roof hatch was suddenly forced open, and smoke began drifting in.

The Maximals exchanged nervous glances. Rattrap noted that Slingblade and Dinobot were unarmed, but didn't say anything about it.

Suddenly, two lasers shot through the thick smoke, blasting the weapons from the Maximals' hands.

"What's goin' on?" Cheetor asked.

Optimus squinted into the smoke, "After the Great War, a few Decepticons were granted amnesty. Most have retired, but rumor has it that one was reprogrammed and rebuilt--as a Predacon."

A black panther stepped out of the smoke.

"Ravage." Optimus almost growled.

Ravage bowed, "You will pardon my shooting the weapons from your hands. I only wished to avoid any regrettable _accidents_ to my person."

"Yeah?" Rattrap asked, "Well next time try da front door!" Optimus sighed, "Rattrap, please-" 

"PLEASE?! For bootin' up cold! Da only ting worse dan a stinkin' Predacon is a stinkin' Decepticon!"

Slingblade cleared her throat threateningly.

"Shut up Rattrap." Optimus snapped. 

Ravage looked them over, "I must say, some of you look..._different_ …than what I was expecting."

Optimus folded his arms over his chest, "We've had some…interesting times." 

Ravage nodded, as his optics fell on Slingblade. "There you are. I was getting concerned."

"Hello again, Ravage." Slingblade said, walking up to him and shaking his hand. "Your arrival was very well-timed."

Ravage grinned, "I try."

Dinobot slowly stepped forward, keeping an eye on Ravage.

"You remember Dinobot." Slingblade continued.

"Ah, yes, your friend." He held out his hand, "Greetings."

Dinobot nodded, and shook the panther's hand.

Behind Slingblade, a gun cocked. She turned around to find Rattrap aiming at her. In fact, _all_ of the Maximals were aiming at them.

"You three have a lot of explaining to do." Optimus said. "And you've got about two minutes to do it in."

Ravage stepped forward, "By order of the Tripredacus Council, I have been dispatched to capture the fugitive known as Megatron. Agent Slingblade was sent on this mission since both ships were due to lift off at the same time and their paths would almost intersect, hopefully resulting in the capture and containment of Megatron. Unfortunately, we hadn't counted on her being put into the protoform state. But, it all worked out in the end, as you can plainly see."

"So, you _are_ a spy!" Rattrap exclaimed.

Slingblade grinned at him and mockingly said, "Oh, dear, you've found me out." But, her grin faded, and she became serious, "I'm not a spy; I'm a Tripredacus Agent. I've worked with the Decepticon government and military, and eventually the Tripredacus Council ever since I 'defected'. I help catch the renegades that get too rebellious by keeping an optic on the 'bots who join the enemy's ranks for one reason or another."

"So…that's why you joined the Autobots and then the Maximals?" Cheetor asked, sounding hurt. "I thought you'd changed your ways."

"I'm sorry you had to find me out like this, Cheetor, I really am. But, the fact remains; I _am_ an Agent that has been within your ranks for over three hundred years. Now…what're you going to do about it?"

"Slag your sorry ass, dat's what!" Rattrap exclaimed.

Before he could get a shot off, Dinobot had blown his pistol from his hand.

"Ah ah ah." Slingblade said. "Mustn't do that. You might get…hurt."

"What's _your_ role in all this?" Optimus asked, directing the question toward Dinobot.

"I have a score to settle." he answered simply.

Ravage sighed and stepped forward, "Forgive my…partners…they seem to be a bit trigger-happy. Perhaps I could explain things better if you would lower your weapons."

None of the Maximals complied.

"Mm. Very well, then; we'll do this your way." He shifted his weight a bit, "The three of us have no quarrel with you at all. We only wish to capture Megatron before he does any more damage and return him to Cybertron in as few pieces as possible. Now, we are more than capable of doing this ourselves, but your help would be greatly appreciated."

"Why should we trust you?" Optimus asked, folding his arms over his chest.

Ravage smiled, "I should think that you would appreciate what we are doing. You want Megatron captured as much as we do, and I am fairly certain that you would like to go home. _I_ am the only one with a ship that is worthy of flight. And, if I had arrived any later than I did, Megatron and his forces would've penetrated your defenses and destroyed you."

"How do we know dat you won't stab us in da back like Slinger an' Chopperface?" Rattrap demanded.

Ravage's smile broadened, "Have no fear, my small friend; we won't betray you." He reached up and patted Slingblade's head, "And besides, I'm sure you all know by now that Slingblade is not 'all there'."

"Hey!" Slingblade protested.

"I don't know about her friend, but he looks reliable enough."

Optimus stared at the trio, then said, "Maximals, huddle."

As the Maximals huddled together and began whispering amongst themselves, Ravage took the opportunity to look around the command center. In all honesty, it looked exactly like he had expected it to; just like an exploration vessel's command center should. He was disappointed.

Keeping his optics on the clump of Maximals, Dinobot stepped over behind Slingblade and bowed his head just enough to speak to her. "I have a bad feeling about this." he whispered.

"You know what?" she asked, also whispering.

"What?"

"Me, too. I don't know what it is, but something is _definitely_ wrong."

_Oh, great. Now I _know_ we're going to get slagged._ he thought. "…Stay close to me; it's not safe anywhere now."

Author's Note; Finally! I was beginning to wonder if I'd _ever_ get this done. Sorry for the wait: school's back in session, which should tell you something. If I hear one more sermon about the dress code or the new cell phone laws, I swear, I'm gonna go nuts!

Anyway, thanks to nannon and Green Tima for the reviews! They are very much appreciated! More to come!


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